Dennis Schröder
Grade: B-
Ranking the Hawks’ leading scorer this low was not an easy decision, but it was one that had to be done. Though he paces the Hawks in many glamorous categories, his defensive rating of 114 per 100 possessions is tied for last on the team, and the team is sporting a negative net rating with Schröder on the court.
Though he has clearly been the team’s MVP through much of the early going – leading the Hawks in points, assists, field goals, usage rate, assist rate, free throws made and attempted – Schröder has developed into a revolving door on defense, allowing drives to the basket without a trace of effort to stop them.
Of course, with such a heavy offensive burden placed upon Schröder’s broad shoulders, one would not expect him to be a lockdown guy, but his effort has been critically low this season and it shows in the team’s defensive rating (29th out of 30 in the NBA).
Though Schröder is the most important player on offense for the Hawks, his nearly nonexistent defense is dragging the entire team into the depths.