Grading Every Hawks Player Through 30 Games

With 30 games in the books, the Atlanta Hawks have a 7-23 record. Let’s look back on those first 30 games by grading every player on the team who’s played more than 250 minutes this season, starting with…

John Collins
Grade: A+

Headlining our list is the Hawks’ current Rookie of the Year, and the current rookie leader in Player Efficiency Rating. John Collins has been everything and more for the Hawks this season, as his upside and physical gifts have been a huge boon for a team that desperately needs more talent at every position.

JC has already provided ample highlight reel footage, as his dunking ability (45 total dunks, 30 more than the second-highest on the team) should get him an invite to the All-Star Weekend’s Dunk Contest and Rising Stars Challenge.

For the year, John the Baptist has the highest PER on the Hawks with a 20.8. His 59.7 field goal percentage is second only to Dewayne Dedmon, and he is first on the team in total rebounds (163) and offensive rebounds (69).

In his 528 minutes of play, JC has a 1.8 win share – the highest on the team. Collins has been the Hawks’ best player, which is more than the Hawks could’ve ever asked from a 19^th-overall pick in the 2017 draft. Collins is a dark horse Rookie of the Year contender, and good things happen whenever he’s on the court.

While currently on a minutes restriction after returning from a shoulder injury, once Collins becomes fully unleashed on the league via extended playing time… look out below.

Dewayne Dedmon
Grade: A

In his first season as an Atlanta Hawk, Dewayne Dedmon is exceeding all expectations and was one of the best players on the team before suffering a stress reaction in his leg that will keep him out 3-6 weeks.

Many of Dedmon’s heroics have been outlined here, but to summarize: Dedmon’s rim-running ability, rebounding skills, solid pick-setting and newfound three-point stroke make him one of the most valuable players on a team searching for positivity through their first 30 games. Get well soon Dewayne!

Tyler Cavanaugh
Grade: A-

As an undrafted rookie on a two-way contract, Tyler Cavanaugh has been the most pleasant surprise of the season for the Hawks.

While only averaging 13.8 minutes per game (last on the team in terms of major rotation players), Cavanaugh is really making those minutes count as his contributions – especially on the offensive end – have been thoroughly impressive.

Despite only playing 262 total minutes in 19 games, Cavanaugh is 5^th on the team with 21 offensive rebounds and his 9.1% offensive rebound percentage is tied for second with Dewayne Dedmon. In terms of overall rebounding, his 13.3% total rebound percentage and 17.7% defensive rebounding percentage are both 4^th on the Hawks.

Cavanaugh is 4^th on the team in PER at 16.6 ahead of starters Ersan Ilyasova, Kent Bazemore and Taurean Prince, and he also has the highest offensive rating on the team with an immense 130. He has shown a willingness to shoot on the perimeter as 58.7 percent of his shots come from three-point territory, and he is connecting on 40.9 percent of his attempts (18 of 44).

Cavanaugh has been a revelation for the Hawks, and we will have to wait and see if the burgeoning inside-out style of this undrafted rookie is sustainable.

Marco Belinelli
Grade: B+

As the nominal headliner in the Dwight Howard trade, Belinelli has lived up to his reputation as a bench sparkplug of the first degree – racking up 717 minutes and 11.8 points per game (both 4^th on the team) while playing no minutes as a starter.

As the frontrunner for the Hawks’ Sixth Man of the Year, Belinelli has shot the Hawks back into (and sometimes out of) games on numerous occasions – racking up a 20.8% usage rate (3^rd on the team) and a 53.1% three-point attempt rate (4^th on the team) with 5.1 attempted three-pointers a night (1^st on the team by far) – all impressive numbers for a bench player.

While Belinelli’s defense is nearly nonexistent, his overall offensive skill set cannot be replicated – making him an important cog for this Hawks team.

Ersan Ilyasova
Grade: B

As the second-oldest player on an extremely young team (behind only 31-year-old elder statesman Marco Belinelli), Ersan Ilyasova has been a steadying veteran presence on a team that desperately needs stability.

While Ersan’s tacky charge-drawing tendencies might not be the most valuable asset for a youthful team, his overall lack of negative attributes makes him an important part of a Hawks team searching for any positivity.

The Turkish Delight is averaging 23.1 minutes, 9.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals (2^nd on the team) per game and his solid play overall does not really stand out. When Ilyasova is out there, you know you will get steady defensive play, a nice shooting stroke from beyond the arc and some hilarious flops.

Luke Babbitt
Grade: B-

Luke Babbitt has a fairly limited role in the Hawks’ system, and he has also missed some time with a few nagging injuries. Still though, he is averaging 18.8 minutes per game, 7.3 points per game and 3.5 three-point attempts per game while shooting an impressive 45.6% (41 of 90) from downtown.

Babbitt’s 63.8% three-point attempt rate is second on the team, which makes sense as that is his sole purpose in Coach Bud’s system.

With a 118 offensive rating per 100 possessions, Babbitt ranks 4th on the team and is one of only 6 players with a positive net rating per that stat. Luke does one thing, and he does it well — who could ask for more?

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 (29^th 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.

Kent Bazemore
Grade: C+

This grading might partially be due to some recency bias, as Kent has strung together a few nice games in a row – including icing a win against the Orlando Magic with two steals and breakaway dunks (LINK) – but overall, his play has been underwhelming.

Though he has been effective on defense with an impressive 53 steals (first on the team by a wide margin) and 17 blocks (tied for second on the team with Dewayne Dedmon), Kent’s middling 14.6 PER ranks as only the 7^th best on the team, and his pedestrian offensive numbers drag down his overall efficacy.

Though his 37.8% clip from downtown (45 of 119) is rock-solid, his overall shooting percentage of 39.9% (120 of 301) is subpar, especially when coupled with a 22% usage rate – second on the team behind only Dennis Schröder.

Taurean Prince
Grade: C

It’s a shame that many of the Hawks’ starters rank so low on this list, but sadly, their performance has merited low rankings and Taurean Prince is no exception.

Second-year players are expected to make a jump, especially after the Prince That Was Promised made a big splash in the 2016 playoffs and was regarded as the best rookie playing big minutes in those playoffs. However, 2017 has not been kind to Taurean and he has been rather lax on both ends, despite logging the most minutes on the team with 900.

A promising aspect of Prince’s season has been his three-point shooting, which at this point, is his one major skill. Prince is second on the team with 51 made three-pointers (Marco Belinelli paces the team with 56 makes) and a 42.5 three-point percentage, trailing only Luke Babbitt (who has attempted 30 fewer shots from downtown).

For Taurean to blossom into a stout, intimidating 3-and-D wing player, he must improve on the less glamorous end as his 111 defensive rating per 100 possessions is 8^th on the Hawks.

Isaiah Taylor
Grade: C

While he came on strong after signing with the Hawks early in the season, the play of Dennis Schröder’s backup has chilled of late – his trademark breakneck speed has steamrolled him into a few offensive fouls and foolhardy drives that lead to turnovers in recent games.

However, those same drives are what provide him with value for the Hawks, as 75 percent of his shots have come from two-point range and 59 percent of those are within 10 feet of the basket – usually high-percentage shots for a good finisher like Taylor.

Defensively, Taylor is a vast improvement over Dennis Schröder as he uses his low center of gravity and stout physique to stop ballhandlers on the perimeter and his active hands and fleet feet to get after loose balls and steals.

Malcolm Delaney
Grade: C-

Malcolm Delaney was miscast last year as a backup point guard. Once the team acquired Isaiah Taylor to fill that role early this season, Delaney was moved into an off-ball, two guard position that more matches his skill set.

Delaney is averaging 5.0 points, 2.0 assists and 18.1 minutes per game through 381 minutes in 21 games. His year has largely been forgettable, though he did have some nice moments early playing side-by-side with Taylor as the backup backcourt.

DeAndre’ Bembry
Grade: D

In his second season in the NBA, DeAndre’ Bembry is averaging 17.9 minutes, 5.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Bembry missed a sizeable chunk of the season with a wrist fracture, and has only played in 16 of the Hawks’ 30 games.

Despite a promising rookie year and some flashes this season, DeAndre’ has largely underwhelmed in his sophomore campaign – ranking last on the team with a piddling 5.4 PER. While he has shown nice footwork and an aptitude for being in the right place on defense, he has shown his offensive shortcomings as a ballhandler on numerous occasions – ranking 4^th on the team with 2.0 turnovers per game in limited minutes.

Bembry’s finishing has also been very poor, and he has missed wide-open layups and tip-ins with great regularity.

It is possible that the wrist fracture he suffered earlier in the season is still affecting him, but for Bembry to improve this season, improvements must be made on the offensive end – especially with a usage rate that is more than 5 percent higher than last season.

Incomplete: Under 250 Minutes

Miles Plumlee – Plumlee has looked stiff in his 158 minutes of play, which is understandable if you’re the 4^th or 5^th big man in the pecking order. His finishing has not been great, though he can finish wide-open dunks with authority; in any other situation, though, he struggles.

Once Dedmon and Muscala return, Plumlee’s minutes should plummet to zero, especially since Tyler Cavanaugh has looked like a much more viable option inside than Plumlee.

Josh Magette – Magette is another feel-good two-way contract story. After lighting it up in the G-League (and continuing to do so when he’s not with the big club), Magette made his NBA debut in the Hawks’ first game and he immediately showcased his skill set.

Whenever Magette is on the floor, his amazing passing ability is on display. In only 64 minutes, he has amassed 17 assists while only scoring 13 points of his own. His 36% assist rate is huge (second only to Dennis Schröder’s 37.5%), especially given his limited playing time. His 124 offensive rating per 100 possessions is second only to Tyler Cavanaugh on the Hawks – though those miniscule 64 minutes force a few grains of salt into that stat.

Tyler Dorsey – Another part of the Dwight Howard trade, Tyler Dorsey was picked up with the 11^th pick of the second round in the 2017 draft, and he has clocked the fewest minutes on the team with 63 – even playing less minutes than Josh Magette in 2 more games.

As the Hawks look to improve via their youth movement going forward, Dorsey should really be playing more as he looks ready and willing to contribute to the team – especially as a shooter.

Dorsey’s shooting stroke looks NBA-ready and his immense 70% three-point attempt rate leads the team by a wide margin (in an extremely limited sample size); why not see how he can do with more extended, consistent playing time?

Mike Muscala – Muscala was averaging 22.4 minutes a game before going down to an ankle injury in the 9^th game of the season, and he has not played since that injury occurred.

With Muscala, you pretty much know what to expect: A stretch five who can hit shots from deep, protect the rim decently well and get up for some easy tip-ins. While not overly flashy, any warm body in the paint will help the Hawks tremendously, so let’s hope he’s back in game shape soon enough.