Atlanta Hawks See Dennis Schroder as a Role Model?

The Atlanta Hawks coach had an interesting take on Dennis Schroder and Trae Young coexisting in the same system.  Could they both play for the Hawks in 2018?

Watching the Atlanta Hawks play last season it was obvious only Dennis Schroder was capable of getting his own shot. It was also obvious he struggled with an attitude often looking to be sulking on the bench or unengaged.

I am a big believer in watching body language in sports. You don’t have to be an expert to know where an athlete’s headspace is if you are paying attention.

For Dennis, I rarely liked what I saw when he wasn’t attacking the basket.  A year after getting rid of him Dennis took a shot at former teammate Dwight Howard and continued to look unengaged on the bench.

As for the shot against Howard, I don’t take issue with it but it seems ironic at best coming from a player who has had many attitude issues of his own.

So when the Hawks traded for Trae Young with their first-round draft pick it was assumed Dennis was on his way out of Atlanta.

Head Coach Llyod Pierce has a very different take, however, having this to say via AJC:

“I think Dennis will be a tremendous role model,” Pierce answered. “We’ve talked already about him and Trae not only coexisting, but him being a leader for Trae and helping him on the court. Dennis has had a lot of success in the league and he’s a guy that still has a lot of growing to go, and Trae is just trying to follow in those footsteps.”   

There isn’t much I like about this statement from the Hawk’s new Head Coach. The fact he believes Dennis can be a good role model for a kid like Trae Young is concerning.

Aside from his aforementioned issues, Dennis has a pending legal situation you can read about here.   Factoring that in with his attitude and Young being the point guard of the future trying to fit both of them into the offense seems like a recipe for disaster.

It seems more likely the Hawk’s Coach could simply be talking up Dennis in hopes of upping his non-existent trade value.

While he is an explosive player the issues and contract seem to outweigh the potential positive impact he could have on many teams.

Young and Dennis would be an explosive combination for the Hawks in more ways than one. Having both of them on the court is an interesting idea, one I don’t see happening if the Hawks can find a way to trade Dennis.

Next: Trae Young Headed to Atlanta

Schroder’s time in Atlanta is coming to an end.  He wanted a trade out of Atlanta and with Trae Young in the fold perhaps he will finally get his wish and the Hawks can focus on the point guard of the future.