Hawks Midseason Review: 2017-2018

[Jamaaliver]

These things will be rolling in over the next few weeks.

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Atlanta Hawks: B

The Atlanta Hawks have the league's worst record, but that was kind of the plan.

We all knew what new general manager Travis Schlenk was about when he offered a two-item mission statement in September: "We went into this offseason with a couple goals, and [one of] those two goals was to try to get younger. ... The second thing we wanted to accomplish was financial flexibility moving forward as it relates to the [salary cap] as well."

That's code for "we're rebuilding."

Atlanta has seen intermittent flashes of starter-quality play from rookie John Collins, whose energy and bounce have at least added some excitement to an otherwise unexciting season. Taurean Prince has shot it much better in his second year, and the Hawks are nicely positioned to sell off veterans—Dewayne Dedmon, Ersan Ilyasova and Kent Bazemore, to name three—for more future assets.

Ideally, Dennis Schroder would have taken a bigger step forward in scoring efficiency. But it's hard to be too critical of his play considering the lack of talent surrounding him.

The Hawks are where they want to be: in line for the top overall pick and in possession of two other first-rounders (via the Rockets and Timberwolves) to boot.

[jayu70]

Should have been a solid A.
The plan execution is perfect.
In line for a top pick.
Seeing improvement in the young guys.
Our vets playing well to have a trade market to acquire more picks/assets.
The ability to stay in games to at least keep the games interesting.
We have a system and coach in place, not just rolling the ball out playground style.

[Jamaaliver]

'B' sounds about right.

We're losing, but we've seen improvement from Taurean and the games haven't been completely awful.

This is probably as bearable a rebuild as you could imagine this side of the Boston. (Where they got the #1 seed and the #1 pick in the same year!!!)

[Jamaaliver]

^I suspect the biggest reason it isn't a full on 'A' is because we haven't fully embraced the youth movement yet.

A lot of minutes going to veterans at this point in the season and we haven't sewn up a top 4 pick just yet either.

[macd-gm]

It's hard not to give an A . I'd say that I was hoping to see Dennis become a better facilitator. This is the season to practice that and i think it's possible. If Ersan, Dedmon and Baze are gone in trades then we'll see some real losing but it also could lead to the emergence of guys like Collins and maybe even Dorsey.

[Jamaaliver]

Player Position Rankings: NBA's Top 100 Players for Season's 2nd Half

Honorable Mentions

John Collins, PF, Atlanta Hawks

Picture, if you will, a version of DeAndre Jordan with quicker reload time and a certain natural comfort when attacking off the dribble. That's John Collins. He's too much of an unfinished project to get the ultimate nod, but the early returns are tracking in that direction.


Dewayne Dedmon, C, Atlanta Hawks

Dewayne Dedmon would have a stronger case to fall inside the actual rankings if he didn't miss significant time with a stress reaction in his left tibia—or if we could be certain which team he'll finish the season on. Every rim-running big with subtle switchability who jacks threes deserves some love, though.


97. Dennis Schroder, PG, Atlanta Hawks

Age: 24

2017-18 Per-Game Stats: 20.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.1 blocks

Advanced Metrics: 18.8 PER, minus-5.45 TPA, minus-1.33 RPM

Dennis Schroder will probably never rank among the top 10 players at the point guard spot, but we must show a certain appreciation for his situation. He's increased his volume over each of the past two seasons without wrecking his efficiency, and he doesn't have a wealth of auxiliary creators to help him vary his attacks.

Still, he's an incessant prober with the means to finagle league-average offensive output from some of the Atlanta Hawks' many lower-level lineups. And he's rounding out as a table-setter, albeit slowly, even if he does get tunnel vision when driving towards the tin.

Bleacher Report

81. Kent Bazemore, SG, Atlanta Hawks

Age: 28

2017-18 Per-Game Stats: 12.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.7 blocks

Advanced Metrics: 14.6 PER, 20.70 TPA, 1.68 RPM

Moving Kent Bazemore would've been impossible last year. The four-year, $70 million deal he signed in the summer of 2016 to remain with the Atlanta Hawks had become an unabashed albatross saddled around the neck of a ferocious, passionate defender who couldn't find nylon on the more glamorous end of the floor. If Atlanta wanted to remove him from the ledgers, it surely would've had to include a pick as recompense for the organization absorbing those massive expenditures.

Not anymore.

The Hawks might choose to keep Bazemore on the roster as a foundational piece. But they could also get something for him at this February's deadline now that he's shooting 41.4 percent from the field, 37.6 percent from downtown and 78.7 percent from the stripe. Those percentages might not make him an offensive stalwart, but they represent drastic improvement upon 2016-17's unpalatable slash line of 40.9/34.6/70.8.

[ATL Boy]

A from me. This has been an ideal tank year if there is such a thing. We're competitive but still losing enough to be in a position to take a stud in the draft, and we're gonna get something for the 1-year vets we brought in. Very ideal situation, most it thanks to the brilliant Mike Budenholzer.

[Jamaaliver]

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MVP

Schröd’s overall importance to the Hawks’ offense makes him a rather easy choice for this.

Schröder shoulders a substantial part of the team’s offense, serving as an offensive fulcrum at the point guard position. His blazing straight-line drives to the basket are much too fast for most defenders to catch, and he’s usually left alone at the basket for easy layups and finger-rolls.

DS17 is first on the Hawks in the following categories: Points per game (19.5), minutes per game (31.3), field goal made (7.5) and attempted (17.2) per game and assists per game (6.3).