Soaring Down South
Fansided

Atlanta Hawks 2017-18 Season Review: Tyler Dorsey

By Chris Guest

SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 22: Tyler Dorsey #2 of the Atlanta Hawks warms up against the Sacramento Kings on March 22, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 22: Tyler Dorsey #2 of the Atlanta Hawks warms up against the Sacramento Kings on March 22, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – MARCH 28: Tyler Dorsey #2 of the Atlanta Hawks handles the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 28, 2018 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – MARCH 28: Tyler Dorsey #2 of the Atlanta Hawks handles the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 28, 2018 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

In 56 games played (5 starts), Tyler Dorsey averaged a respectable 7.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 17.4 minutes a night. As referenced earlier, Dorsey played sparingly during the first three months of the season, but once more minutes opened up in 2018, Dorsey saw minutes in 45 straight games to end the season – including a career-high 38 minutes in a narrow loss to the Miami Heat in early April.

In a total of 974 minutes played, Dorsey’s clear number-one skill was his three-point shooting. He developed into a volume shooter from downtown, attempting the fifth-most threes on the Hawks at 199. He shot a respectable 36.2 percent from deep as well, though that number must be higher if he wants to truly carve out a niche for himself in the league.

His 52.1 percent three-point attempt rate was also fifth-highest on the team, but his true shooting percentage dipped well below league average at under 50 percent (49.4 percent). That was mostly due to a size disadvantage when finishing in the paint, which Dorsey showed very little knack for in limited two-point attempts, except for this sweet, sweet dunk:

Dorsey made 72 two-pointers and 72 three-pointers in his first season, but his shockingly low 39.3 percent shooting percentage from two-point range was a clear eyesore. Again, Dorsey is a good shooter, but his finishing leaves much to be desire at this early stage of his career.

During the final month-and-a-half of the 2017-18 season, Dorsey was given nearly free rein as the first substitute off the bench, and his usage rate rose to the sixth-highest on the team at 20 percent.

Dorsey served as the replacement for the outgoing Marco Belinelli, though Marco’s cagy veteran instincts led to solid offense on almost every possession, whereas Dorsey’s growing pains were much more developmental. Dorsey seemed to grow more confident as the season wore on, and his off-the-dribble creation improved over time as well.

Though it’s still early in Dorsey’s development, he had multiple strong games over the course of the 2017-18 season.

Home/Hawks News