Atlanta Hawks Complete 2016-17 NBA Season Preview

“My goal is to start as point guard. If this doesn’t happen, I will look for other opportunities,” Dennis Schroder told German paper Bild during an October 2015 interview (as translated by Sportando). “The [Atlanta] Hawks are a great team, the city is nice and everything is perfect now. [Jeff] Teague? He was an All-Star, and he helped me a lot. I must be patient and work hard, and eventually I’ll have my opportunities.”

Sometimes, dreams really do come true. 

Following the Hawks’ decision to trade Jeff Teague to the Indiana Pacers, the franchise’s hopes are inextricably tethered to the growth of Dennis Schroder—the new, unquestioned starter. Even though this Atlanta roster features plenty of holdovers from the previous season (48-34, which earned the Eastern Conference’s No. 4 seed) and the record-setting bunch that won 60 games in 2014-15, Schroder’s presence in the starting lineup ushers in a new era. 

Head coach Mike Budenholzer will still emphasize his ball-sharing philosophy, but having a point guard who thrives through individual creation forces offensive change. So too does the departure of longtime centerpiece Al Horford and the nearly simultaneous addition of Dwight Howard. 

Biggest Offseason Move

The Teague trade opened up a chance for Schroder to grow in a starting role. The first-round additions of Taurean Prince (No. 12) and DeAndre’ Bembry (No. 21) in the 2016 NBA draft were also part of the haul that earned the Hawks a “B” on our draft-day report card. 

But nothing matters more than the decision to let Al Horford walk to the Boston Celtics and replace him with a big man who’s failed to meet lofty expectations in Los Angeles and Houston. Howard is still a future Hall of Famer*, but the Hawks now need him to experience a career resurgence as he returns home.

According to NBA Math’s Total Points Added, Howard was far less effective than Horford in 2015-16. Frankly, it wasn’t particularly close on either end of the court:

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But Howard has the upside the Hawks desire at the 5. If his back is healthy and he’s fully motivated, he can protect the rim with aplomb and carry this defense back into the upper echelon. And while he’ll never be a dominant post-up player, his pick-and-roll skills alone make him a threatening offensive presence. 

Plus, the Hawks are already trying to expand his game. It didn’t take long for respected shooting coach Chris Matthews to post this on Twitter:

Will the jump shot be Dwight’s first option?.. Absolutely NOT. But he must be able to make the mid range shot.