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Dennis Schroder: How He Takes The Next Step In 2016

By John Buhler

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Dennis Schroder will enter his third season in the NBA as a 22-year old.  The Menace had been a thorn in the sides of many talented point guards for much of last season.  So how does Dennis Schroder take that next step in his development in 2015-16?

Dennis has three things going very much in his favor.  First, his Head Coach Mike Budenholzer is one of the best minds in the NBA and a former point guard himself.  We saw how Coach Bud pushed starting PG Jeff Teague to an All-Star level  in 2014-15.  With Jeff Teague now on everybody’s radar, many view Teague as a Top 10 point guard in the Association and a likely candidate to return to the ASG in Toronto this winter, assuming the Raptors don’t stuff the ballot box and get two of their back court players in the starting five.

-= Related: Has Jeff Teague Hit His Ceiling As Hawks’ PG? =-

Coach Bud’s player development program has completely transformed this Atlanta Hawks organization.  It had been a crippling part of the culture of mediocrity under previous regimes, not asking their players to find ways to continuously self-improve.  Dennis Schroder and PF/C Mike Muscala are two in-house products that prove the that the player development system is working fine in Atlanta.

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    • Secondly, Dennis has a great ‘big brother’ of sorts in Jeff Teague.  Though they compete for minutes every night with Teague as the obvious starter at this juncture, the dynamic PG duo have elevated each other’s play significantly, realizing that the whole team benefits if they work together to make sure the Atlanta Hawks have a strong floor general on the court.

    Last year we did see both Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder on the court at the same time with Dennis as the point and Teague out on the wing.  It gave the Hawks an interesting offensive wrinkle that many teams weren’t ready to handle, while sharpshooter SG Kyle Korver got some rest on the bench.  Expect to see both point guards play on the floor a bunch this upcoming season.

    Lastly, Dennis is and was part of a contending team in the Atlanta Hawks.  By playing for a winning team, players tend to give a little more to help get their team over the top.  Being part of a deep playoff run should lower the stigma of ECF basketball for this Hawks team and Dennis Schroder is an obvious beneficiary.

    -= See Also: Bringing Back Paul Millsap, The Hawks’ Best Offseason Move =-

    It usually takes him about a season to get things figured out.  He looked so incredibly lost as a rookie in 2013-14 as a 20-year-old.  Last season at 21 years of age, Dennis Schroder became one of the best backup PGs in the Association, averaging 10.0 PPG, 4.1 APG, shooting 35.1% from three in 19.7 minutes per game.  If averaged out to 36 minutes per contest, Dennis would have scored 18.2 PPG and averaged 7.5 APG.

    I don’t know how Coach Bud will allocate the minutes in his rotation this winter, but I have a feeling that Dennis Schroder will eclipse the 20.0 MPG threshold in 2015-16 for the Atlanta Hawks.  Both his offensive and defensive rating improved from his rookie to sophomore season (83 ORTG, 110 DRTG in 2013-14 to 101 ORTG, 106 DRTG in 2014-15).

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    Dennis Schroder seemed to find a nice stroke beyond the arc extended from the key next season.  With DeMarre Carroll‘s 39.5% shot from three-point range, 117 ORTG, and 104 DRTG now in the Great White North, Dennis Schroder could become a great in-house candidate to make up for Carroll’s lose in the aggregate.

    I feel that this offseason will be the best of Schroder’s career this far.  Familiarity with the system and continuity with the coaching staff and most of the team’s core could help lay the foundation for a terrific 2015-16 NBA Campaign for the young and energetic road runner that is Dennis Schroder.  Beep! Beep!  Go Hawks!

    Next: Atlanta Hawks: Better on the Wing in 2016?

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