Soaring Down South
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Who will be the Atlanta Hawks’ team leaders in 2016-17?

By Tom Atkinson

Dec 23, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer coaches against the Detroit Pistons in the third quarter at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Pistons 107-100. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 23, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer coaches against the Detroit Pistons in the third quarter at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Pistons 107-100. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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Points Per Game

Apr 28, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) shoots the ball against Boston Celtics forward Jonas Jerebko (8) during the first half in game six of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) shoots the ball against Boston Celtics forward Jonas Jerebko (8) during the first half in game six of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /

Leader: Paul Millsap- 18.5 points per game.

Millsap was the team’s top scorer last year and will be this year. His range, in combination with his ability in the post and near the bucket, make him a dangerous offensive weapon. Add in his ball handling and strength and his power becomes known. That is why he has scored at least 16.7 points per game in every one of his three years in Atlanta. This year, however, with Al Horford’s consistent mid-range shooting, Millsap might find himself a little more involved and that could result in a slight uptick in his scoring. Those 18.5 points per game would be a career-high and would boost the power forward’s value in free agency at the end of the year even further.

Runner-up: Dwight Howard– 16 points per game.

Dwight Howard comes home to Georgia to offer a rebounding presence the likes of which Atlanta hasn’t seen in years. He has no range, literally no range, but he has always found ways of scoring. From the pick-and-roll or the second chance points, Dwight scores and, although his numbers have fallen recently, he could well thrive as the big dog in the ATL. It might take him some time to adjust to a new system and for the system to adjust to him but he should be up there. He hasn’t exceeded 20 points per game since his days in Orlando but he remains a solid presence near the rim.

If Howard’s adjustments take a bit longer than expected though, it would not be a surprise to see Dennis Schroeder to take advantage of his extra minutes and Kent Bazemore to continue to grow and together push ahead of Howard’s point totals.

Next: Rebounds Per Game

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