Atlanta Hawks 2016-17 Player Preview: Dennis Schroder

Strengths

Athleticism and Penetration

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Dennis Schroder is an absolute blur on the court.

He is not the biggest point guard, nor is he the strongest, but his pace is staggering. When defenses do not sag off of him and dare him to launch the trey, Schroder can be a devastating penetrator and he has the ball control to match.

And when Schroder can get inside, he can pull of some impressive finishes. Whether it is a circus lay-up:

Or a smooth dunk off the drive:

Teague was never bad in this aspect but, with speed like the Flash, and both ball and body control to match, Dennis Schroder is a nightmare for the defender attacking the basket and that is a valuable weapon.

Playmaking

Anyone who gets labelled as “the German Rajon Rondo” has to be a pretty good passer, right? Yeah.

Schroder is no John Wall, but his passing is really good. He has great vision and a strong understanding of the game, which is very encouraging to see out of a player with just three years’ playing experience. His offense and athleticism might catch the eye but his playmaking might be just as strong.

“His intelligence as a player is sometimes overlooked. Freakishly athletic badass players like him are sometimes generalized as being too much brawn and not enough brain. Schroder, however, is quite an intelligent play maker. He’s able to time the movements of teammates and the rotation of opposing defenses, and he knows how to make the correct passes,” Troy Tauscher said for FanSided’s Hoops Habit back in 2015.

That eye for the pass and ability to drive could lead to a devastating partnership with Dwight Howard on the pick-and-roll, which really is a vital play in the modern game.

And, combine that talent for passing with confidence and Schroder produces some memorable flashy passes.

Perimeter Defense

This might be a bit generous but still. One year ago, this would have been laughable but that aforementioned defensive development has left Schroder with another string to his bow.

Again, he is by no means an elite defender but the young German can stifle most matchups. With long arms and an incredible quickness, Schroder can often out-maneuver his man on defense and with an electric energy, he can be relentless too. That is what gave him the edge over Teague on that end.

“Jeff played OK, but I just thought that with Dennis, like I said, we had a little bit better energy, a little bit better defense,” coach Mike Budenholzer said after a loss to the Knicks, via Zach Dillard of Fox Sports.

If he can continue to improve here, and focus better, Schroder could be a really good defender on the perimeter.