With a dearth of offensive acumen on the Atlanta Hawks, Dennis Schroder will now be the focal point on the attack, and that will mean an increase in production.
Currently sitting at 3,244 points, Dennis Schroder is 45th on the Hawks’ all-time scorers list, headed of course by Hall-Of-Famer Dominique Wilkins (23,292). Last season Schroder managed 17.9 points per game in his first season as the first-choice point guard alongside recently departed Dwight Howard and Paul Millsap. This leaves Schroder with an opportunity to run the offense as he sees fit and make up the difference by putting in a few more buckets per game.
He increased his production by almost 7 points per game between last season and the 2015-16 season, seeing 11.2 more minutes of time on the court as a starter. And in the last playoff run Dennis Schroder exploded for 24.7 points per game on 35.2 minutes per game in the 6-game series against the Washington Wizards. This small sample just goes to show that when given the reins Schroder can be a machine on the offensive end.
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Assuming his numbers jump to somewhere around 22.0 points per game with a consequent increase in minutes, Dennis Schroder will quickly begin to climb the all-time scorers list. Assuming the Hawks don’t make the playoffs and Schroder hypothetically sits two games for injury/rest, he can be looking at close to 1,760 points next season, putting his total to 5,004. That would put the 23-year-old wunderkind 27th on the all-time list, one spot shy of Paul Millsap (5,177).
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After taking into account the additional 3 years on his contract and some subsequent rough extrapolation and calculation, Dennis Schroder will add 5,280 more points to his resume, finishing with a grand total of 10,284.
For those playing along at home, that would be good for 9th on the all-time list, one spot under long-time Hawk Josh Smith (10,371). Oh, and the Schroder would only be 27 years old.
Now everyone loves a scorer, but will Schroder be a worthy creator for his colleagues over the next four years? He averaged 6.3 assists per game last season, finishing with a total of 499 on the season.
Say he increases that tally to 8.0 and take the 80-game season for the next four years; he will generate 2,560 dimes. Add that to his existing total of 1258 and the new total becomes 3,818. The kid from Germany could find himself sitting only 48 assists below franchise leader Doc Rivers (3,866).
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While these numbers are purely hypothetical, it makes for quite an amusing thought experiment with the season still two months out. The takeaway is that Schroder has an opportunity over the next four years that many other point guards (Kyrie Irving) wish they could have; the chance to transform into a true franchise player and lead a team to success. Only time will tell if these prophecies become reality, and Atlanta fans should be excited to watch it unfold.