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Atlanta Hawks 2017-18 Player Grades: Dennis Schröder

By Jack ODonnell

MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 17: Dennis Schroder #17 of the Atlanta Hawks handles the ball during a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center on March 17, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 17: Dennis Schroder #17 of the Atlanta Hawks handles the ball during a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center on March 17, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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Dennis Schröder has turned into a bit of an enigma for Atlanta Hawks fans over the years. After being taken 17th overall in the 2013 draft, Schröder became a nice backup point guard on some of the better Hawks teams in recent history.

We then chose to go young, letting Jeff Teague walk and Dennis take over as the starting point guard. Things have been weird ever since.

Schröder had a nice overall season stats-wise as he averaged 19.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists, and he also logged a career game-high of 41 points against the Jazz late in the season.

Just looking off the raw totals, a 24-year-old guard averaging those numbers should be a cornerstone to a rebuild, but this might be a case of fool’s gold.

Related: 6 Potential Dennis Schröder Trades

Dennis is an extremely high-usage player, taking up just over 30% of Atlanta’s plays when he is on the floor. To put this usage into perspective, Dennis had the 12th-highest usage rate among players, with guys like Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Victor Oladipo and Donovan Mitchell taking up less possessions than him. This explains the surprisingly well-rounded stat line due to the sheer amount of chances he gets with the ball.

Another problem for Dennis this season was his shooting. He shot 43% from the field and 29% (!!!) from behind the arc on 3.9 attempts a game. Dennis is only one of 5 players this season to take at least 3.5 3PA/G and make less than 30% of them. This volume shooting isn’t useful if you’re extremely inefficient.

The final strike on Schröder’s season was his abysmal defense. Granted, when playing in lineups where everyone is either a castoff from another team or extremely young, you don’t have much of a chance — but Dennis didn’t give us any reason to be optimistic.

Next: 7 Players the Hawks Could Select 19th Overall

Schröder probably had a season he wants to forget, and for the first time in such a high-usage role, he showed his limits as the Atlanta Hawks starting point guard for the future. Given his recent comments, it might be in the best interest for both parties if we just started anew by trading Schröd this offseason.

2017-18 Season Grade: C

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