Dennis Schroder was a key component of the Atlanta Hawks’ historic season in 2014-2015. The 22-year-old point guard was an absolute sparkplug off the bench, averaging 10 points and a little more than four assists per game in just under 20 minutes of action, while shooting 35 percent from downtown. Going into his third season in the NBA, he’s eager – perhaps overly so – to take his career to the next level. Via James Herbert of CBS Sports:
“My goal is to start as point guard,” Schroder said, as translated by Sportando. “If this doesn’t happen, I will look for other opportunities. The Hawks are a great team, the city is nice and everything is perfect now. 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.”
So maybe it’s not quite as precocious as it initially sounded. “Eventually” is a crucial qualifier in that statement. And it’s not like there’s anything inherently wrong with him wanting to be a starting point guard in the NBA. Any backup point guard in the league would probably say the same thing. It’s also not as if he’s in a dead heat to take over the starting spot from Jeff Teague, who was the engine driving the Hawks’ entire onslaught last season en route to his well-deserved inaugural All-Star appearance.
Schroder, granted, has tremendous potential but still has a long way to go. He regressed a bit in the postseason, but so did the rest of the Hawks. His three-point shooting, in particular, took a nosedive to 23 percent. All things considered, the patience and hard work part of his comments are probably what he should focus on the most.
But, in general, comments like that are best kept to yourself. There are too many ways they can be misinterpreted, especially when things might literally have been lost in translation. Is there a widening rift between him and Teague? Will he sulk and be a constant distraction this season because he’s coming off the bench? Fair or not, this is the environment his words will inevitably create.
(Via CBS Sports)
