Jose Calderon is a Perfect Fit for the Atlanta Hawks
Could the Atlanta Hawks be close to signing another point guard?
After rumors that the Warriors were going to sign Jose Calderon, Kevin Durant got injured and the Warriors chose to go with another wing in Matt Barnes. After this, it was reported by ESPN’s Marc Stein that the Atlanta Hawks were interested in Calderon. He would be a perfect fit in Atlanta.
For the Hawks, the two biggest issues this season (outside of, you know, not having a superstar on the roster) has been a lack of depth at the point guard position and shooting the three-pointer at a low percentage.
Since Kyle Korver‘s departure, the go-to option from behind the arc has been Tim Hardaway Jr. which is not exactly what a team wants. While Hardaway Jr. has proven to be a hot-shooter for certain stretches, limiting him to three-point shots hinders his offensive game, especially since he has a slashing mentality. For his career, as well as this season, his three-point shooting is just about average. Mike Dunleavy Jr., the next best option, gets extremely limited minutes as Thabo Sefolosha returns from injury.
The Hawks are 26th in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage. Last season they were 15th. The season before that, the season when they won 60 games, they were 2nd. Knocking down the three-point shot is vital in today’s NBA. If you can’t shoot, then you can’t contend.
As far as point guards go, the problem is clear. Malcolm Delaney is a solid player with decent potential. However, he has not been nearly as efficient as a backup point guard needs to be, especially when the starting point guard is 23 years old.
He is putting up abysmal shooting percentages with a sub-par 8.1 PER, which makes him the 317th most efficient player out of the 342 that qualify. A solid veteran that can come in and produce at a steady and efficient level will prove to be the X-Factor as the Hawks make a run for a top four playoff seed.
You have seen the word “efficient” a lot in the above paragraphs. Whenever you see “efficient”, think Jose Calderon. This 14-year veteran has played on some great teams and some terrible teams. During his long career, Calderon has managed to become, statistically, one of the greatest shooters of all-time. Yes, you heard me correctly.
In Calderon’s time in the league, he has historically great shooting averages, whether it be for a season or for his career as a whole. He’s shooting 47% from the field, 41% behind the arc, and 88% at the line so far since his rookie season. For a comparison, Ray Allen shot 45% from the field, 40% from the arc, and 89% at the line during his time in the association. Also, Calderon holds the record for the highest free throw percentage in a single season at 98%.
He’s not just a shooter, though, as he averages over 6 assists per game for his career, including four seasons averaging more that 8 per game. The remarkable part about this is that he has never averaged more than two turnovers per game. Dennis Schroder is averaging 6 assists and 3 turnovers per game. His 2-to-1 turnover ratio is awful in comparison to Calderon’s 4-to-1.
Calderon would use his veteran leadership to help teach Schroder and Delaney, which would develop their shooting, decision making, tempo control, composure, dribble moves, reading pick-and-rolls, basketball IQ, and the list goes on and on.
Next: Hawks-Celtics: Rivalry Renewed
If he comes to the Hawks, expect him to split time with Delaney and see roughly 15 minutes a game. His efficiency as a player is nearly unmatched, and he gives the Hawks exactly what they have been looking for all season; consistency.