Atlanta Hawks: Dennis Schroder Is The Present And The Future
Wrap Up
While many of the league’s best point guard’s showed their All-Star level production in their sophomore seasons, reigning MVP Stephen Curry was a late bloomer. All of Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard, and Isaiah Thomas eclipsed the 20 points per game plateau in their second season. Curry meanwhile, did not start wreaking havoc on the NBA until his 4th year. And even then, it was a lengthy process to get to the top, as his scoring average from that season was 20.4 points per contest.
The train of thought here is that Schroder just keeps getting better and better, but it’s possible that what we’re seeing this year is what he will always be. You know, a fringe All-Star that is in reality just a slightly above average point guard. Recent history does suggest that if he was going to be a star, it would’ve already happened by now.
The most die-hard fan and supporter of Schroder could discount my sentiments on Schroder’s likelihood of becoming an All-NBA talent, however, by simply pointing to Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors. Lowry, who is an All-Star player and considered to be a franchise cornerstone, has been sharpening and perfecting his craft for the better part of a decade.
To keep a positive outlook on just how brilliant Schroder can be, there isn’t a better example than Lowry. He didn’t even average double figures in scoring per game until his 6th season. In fact, it took him nine years of NBA service to get to where Dennis currently is, when he posted 17.9 points and 7.4 assists per game in 2013- 2014.
Schroder is already doing that, in only his 4th year. Lowry can compare with the top flight floor generals league-wide in today’s game, with a line of 22.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game at 30 years old in his 11th season.
Dennis has been more effective and reliable than what my expectations for this season were, as coach Budenholzer has expressed time and time again that he is happy with the starting point guard’s performance. In his case, maybe Schroder takes a leap into the elite category further down the path than most dominant guards have.
The Hawks can already take pride in the fact that they have gotten a really good player from their 17th pick of the 2014 NBA Draft.