Atlanta Hawks 2017-18 Player Grades: Malcolm Delaney
By Dallin Duffy
In his second season as Dennis Schröder’s primary backup, Malcolm Delaney once again blew a chance to make a sizable impact in an Atlanta Hawks uniform.
After spending his first 5 pro seasons overseas, the 6-foot-3 guard finally made the Association last year, signing a two-year deal with the Hawks.
He appeared in 73 games for them last season, putting up an unspectacular 5.4 points and 2.6 assists in 17.1 minutes per game. This season, he made subtle increases in all major categories but not not much, and not enough to become a major force on either offense or defense.
Scoring-wise, Delaney shot an average of 5.3 shots a game, shooting 38% while also knocking down just under one three pointer per game. He did take significantly more shots from beyond the arch this season. Looking at his advanced stats, 44% of his total shots came from deep, way up from just the 28% from last year.
In the end the 6.3 points per game he scored off the bench was just fine, but some would like to see more from him, especially since such a high percentage of his shots were from behind the three-point line.
As with most point guards, scoring is the second option behind finding opportunities for his teammates to score. The 3 assists per game Delaney dished out ranked fifth on the team at season’s end, which is respectable knowing the supporting cast around him.
Delaney further help set up the offense with his defense. The 29-year old snagged 0.6 steals a game which helped lead him to a defensive win share rating of 0.6 (higher than his .4 offensive) which ranked above fellow Hawk guards Isaiah Taylor, DeAndre’ Bembry, Tyler Dorsey and Damion Lee.
Hustle. @foe23 Malcom Delaney and John Collins. #BBALLiN @ATLHawks pic.twitter.com/H5277xMY0Z
— BBALLiN (@BBALLiNcenter) November 19, 2017
While he did make statistical increases to his game, and showed enough talent that he’ll likely be in the NBA next season, he’ll probably be in a new uniform.
Delaney is already 29 and unless something unprecedented happens, he’s already hit his peak. He’s a solid bench player that can do most things well, but is not elite level at any one thing.
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He was one of the players who helped the Hawks’ second unit stay somewhat competitive, but if he wants to be known more than just a hustle guy, he needs to work on his three-point efficiency and he can take his defense from simply passable, like it was this season, to something more.