Who Should be the Atlanta Hawks’ Backup Point Guard?
The Verdict: Delaney or Calderon?
If Calderon has indeed moved ahead of Delaney in the rotation, is that the right decision?
With most teams rarely going farther than 10 players deep during any given game, the prospective moves regarding the end of a team’s bench couldn’t exactly be described as critical.
Every possession does count, however, and bench production is an important area of the game.
While Delaney hasn’t knocked many people’s socks off with his fundamental style of play, he is still a more attractive option to consider in a couple of important ways.
He is a lot faster and more athletic than Calderon is at this point. His struggles from the field have outweighed many of those benefits that area of his game offers.
More from Hawks News
- Start, Bench, Cut: Sorting through the Hawks’ power forward options
- Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic reacts to earning FIBA World Cup championship bid
- When does training camp start for the Atlanta Hawks?
- Dejounte Murray rips NBA 2K after Atlanta Hawks ratings reveal
- Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic makes special dedication after FIBA win
Calderon, on the other hand, can help in some valuable ways of his own that Delaney does not bring to the table.
His 12 years of seasoned experience provides the type of leadership and decision making abilities that Delaney just doesn’t have. He has averaged 6.3 assists for his career. Those are the type of qualities that could improve the Hawks chances in the playoffs.
It would be reasonable to assume that Calderon is operating on his last legs, but here in his short time with the Hawks has actually moved a lot more swift and nimble than you might expect.
Despite his very good showing in the Hawks blowout win over the Grizzlies in Memphis, during which he scored 14 points and snagged three rebounds, his effectiveness hasn’t really been any better than Delaney’s.
Calderon has shot 38.5 percent from the field and just 22.2 percent from long range in his six games so far for the Hawks. That is about the same level of accuracy that Delaney has been providing all season, shooting 38.1 percent from the field and 23.5 percent from 3-point territory.
Calderon is a much more proven commodity as an outside shooter, though, as he has made a very impressive 41.0 percent for his career.
The one skill that never ceases to fail a player, even as they age into the twilight of their career, is their ability to shoot the basketball.
Calderon may have struggled with some nervous jitters upon joining a new team. That could have caused him to endure this cold streak of 22.2 percent from outside. The Hawks have a desperate need for reliable 3-point shooting out on the floor and Calderon will be more dependable in the future.
As heavily as Budenholzer has leaned on Schroder this season, he has averaged 31.0 minutes per game, the decision to have Calderon be his back-up going forward is likely the right one.
He has fit in with the team’s offensive system right away and that should get even better. Delaney has just not been the answer this year, especially because of his poor shooting.
There is always the option to insert Delaney back into the thick of the rotation when needed, but Calderon should be considered the superior playmaker based on his track record as well.
Next: What Dennis Schroder Needs to Work On
It’s always important for a playoff team to have a nice mix of youth and established veteran players as well. As is the case at the other positions on the court, the Hawks have that now at point guard.