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The Pros and Cons of Keeping Dennis Schröder

By Andrew Parrish

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 23: Dennis Schroder #17 of the Atlanta Hawks dribbles the ball against the Indiana Pacers during the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on February 23, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 23: Dennis Schroder #17 of the Atlanta Hawks dribbles the ball against the Indiana Pacers during the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on February 23, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – FEBRUARY 23: Dennis Schroder #17 of the Atlanta Hawks dribbles the ball against the Indiana Pacers during the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on February 23, 2018, in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – FEBRUARY 23: Dennis Schroder #17 of the Atlanta Hawks dribbles the ball against the Indiana Pacers during the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on February 23, 2018, in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

With the Atlanta Hawks in the middle of a full-blown rebuild, GM Travis Schlenk and the new head coach, whoever that may be, will have some important roster decisions to make regarding the future of the club.

One of the most important decisions that will have to be made early is whether or not Dennis Schröder should be the franchise point guard for a new-look Hawks team. Here are some pros and cons to keeping him around as the Hawks look to move out of the rebuild and back into contention.

Pros

  • Age

Schröder is very young to be going into his sixth season in the NBA. At only 24 years old, he still has time to develop into a complete point guard moving forward in the Hawks organization. If Schröder can continue a natural progression of development next season, he can certainly be a quality starting option next to the likes of Kent Bazemore, John Collins, and the Hawks’ draft choices.

  • Passing

One part of Schröder’s game that is underappreciated is his ability to pass the basketball in a purposeful manner. With a career-high in assist rate and career-low turnover rate this past season, Schröder has improved exponentially in his distribution and consistency with limiting turnovers.

With the presumed influx of talent incoming next season, it will be interesting to see how Schröder’s distribution improves moving forward.

Cons

  • Shooting

Schröder’s shooting has taken a drastic step backward as the seasons have progressed. He shot his second-lowest percentage from behind the arc this past season at 29%, which might have to do with an increase in shot opportunities.

Still, the fact that Schröder has seen such a stark drop-off from previous seasons where he shot nearly 35% from three-point range has to be concerning for the Hawks moving forward.

  • Cost

For the production that Schröder provides on both ends of the floor, especially in the realm of efficiency, he is overpaid at nearly $16 million per season for the next 3 seasons. Simply put, he doesn’t provide enough value to justify the price tag given to him in 2016, but given where the Hawks were at that time, the front office can’t be faulted for offering the extension to Schröder when they did.

Barring a huge improvement from Dennis going into next season, the Hawks will have to either sit on Schröder for the rest of his contract or find his replacement via the trade market or through free agency.

The Hawks have a big decision to make this offseason as they look to take the first step in their rebuilding process, and whether or not that includes Dennis Schröder moving forward is one of the primary conversations the Hawks should be having behind the scenes.

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Time will tell if the Hawks feel that Schröder is good enough to lead the Hawks into another playoff appearance streak, but decisiveness is the key for the front office to start the rebuild off the right way.

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