Dennis Schröder: Still Young And Learning

Dennis Schröder is an exceptionally talented young guard with the potential to be one of the league’s best floor generals for years to come. What’s really important for people to remember is that he still has a long way to go and a lot left to learn before he reaches that point.

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If you’re looking for proof of this, you need look no further than Schröder’s display in Game 3 of the Atlanta Hawks’ playoff series with the Brooklyn Nets.

It’s been all too easy to get carried away with so many of the fantastic details and progressions of the Hawks’ play this season, so much so that you felt there was always going to be a coming back down to earth of sorts, and we may well have witnessed that at the Barclays Center last night.

It wasn’t just Schröder either. Jeff Teague was far from his best. Kyle Korver just couldn’t get his shots to drop. Al Horford looked out of sync offensively. Even Coach of the Year Mike Budenholzer made a number of questionable decisions in managing the flow of the game.

Is this a cause for concern or a reason to get down on this brilliant team? Absolutely not.

What it is for Atlanta is a re-emphasis of what got them to this point though. Sure, there were a lot of shots that just didn’t fall for the Hawks, that on another night would have, but there was also a couple of pitfalls that the Hawks must be sure to stay away from.

Atlanta must make sure to keep performing as a unit as it’s in that form that they are a lot more spectacular than the sum of their individual parts.

This team can’t afford hero ball or tunnel vision, they need to make every possession count in order to perform to their best.

This wasn’t what many of the Hawks showed in last night’s game, and Schröder stands as the perfect example of that.

The young German played 23 minutes in total, tossing up nine shots in that time for a return of just three points. 1-9 from the field is rarely good, when it’s only accompanied by two assists which are counteracted by a pair of turnovers too, that’s when you’re really having a rough night.

It showed in the box score too as Schröder finished the night with a plus/minus of -13.

What went wrong for Schröder so?

Well this looked very much to be the Schröder of twelve months ago, the rookie who didn’t quite have control or understanding of his own talents or natural gifts of yet.

This was the Schröder that Bud used to insert into the game, only to hook him straight away if he made a poor play.

The 21-year-old has exceptional speed, and in many ways controlling that has been his biggest issue. In fact Schröder’s performances are almost always defined by that word: control.

Jay Clemons of Fox Sports South wrote a feature on the point guard earlier in the season in which Schröder himself acknowledged how he was attempting to adjust to the changes of pace in the NBA:

"Yeah, for sure. I got used to the (game slowing down) this season … and I think (everything’s) working well right now"

This is vital with the German’s style of play, and his coach acknowledged that the youngsters recognition of the issue is impressive:

"It’s interesting for a player with such speed to talk about the game slowing down. But (Dennis) has to understand when to use his speed — going from slow to fast, letting the game slow down and then using your speed."

This is exactly what he failed to do in Game 3 against Brooklyn too. Where on many occasions this season Schröder would drive to the rim and take a second to weigh up the scenario before making his move, there was none of that on this occasion.

Whether that’s in the form of his countless missed layups, or throwing passes to the “open” man in the corner only to find that the defender had successfully read the passing lane, Schröder’s decisions seemed hurried.

That wouldn’t normally be a big deal, but with Jeff Teague struggling just as much, the Hawks needed a calming influence. Why would Budenholzer play Schröder beyond his regular season minutes average then?

That’s a question as difficult to answer as why did Bud allow an 18-0 run to go by before calling a timeout? The only logical reasoning I can come up with is that he has almost ultimate trust in his team, and believed they could power through it to play themselves back into form.

That’s unquestionably a good thing, but it’s important that the Hawks show themselves to be unafraid of adapting. I’m not talking about systems or playing philosophies, there doesn’t need to be any major compromises. Just simple adjustments.

For example, in this case, why not give Shelvin Mack some playing time? Mack played in all seven games in last season’s first round Playoff series for Atlanta including a colossal performance in Game 5 against the Indiana Pacers.

Sure, Mack doesn’t have the skill or quickness of Teague or Schröder but he is a methodical, efficient and reliable floor general who has proven his worth for the Hawks time and time again.

It’s not that Mack is more talented, he’s definitely not, but when things are going wrong for a player a change can pay real dividends.

If you need further evidence of that you need look no further than the Milwaukee Bucks last night. Bucks’ head coach Jason Kidd sat the team’s undoubted star Giannis Antetokounmpo to begin the final quarter, and as some of his veteran rotation players got rolling, he happily left them there in a move that resulted in a Bucks win.

If you put it down to a straight contest between Antetokounmpo and Jared Dudley, or Schröder and Mack, these seem like no-brainers, yet basketball is a team sport, and even more so with the way the Hawks play.

There’s little doubt that with his skills and basketball intelligence there are big things ahead for Schröder, Atlanta just needs to ensure they react appropriately to both the good and the bad.

Next: Atlanta Hawks Need to Shift into Playoff Gear Quickly

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