Storylines to watch
1. Is Dennis Schroder ready to become a franchise point guard?
Dennis Schroder became the full-time starting point guard for the Hawks last season. He showed some potential and he was able to put up decent numbers, but inconsistency plagued his campaign.
Part of the problem for Schroder is finding a way to become a true leader on the floor. He was not always on the same page as his teammates, and at times there appeared to be a lack of trust on the court.
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He showed what he was capable of in six tremendous playoff games against the Wizards, averaging 24.7 points and 7.7 assists while shooting 42.5 percent from long range. He doesn’t need to put up these numbers, but he needs to continue to command the respect of his teammates and opponents if he wants to take the next step.
2. How committed are the Hawks to a complete rebuild?
The Hawks, until Travis Schlenk came to town, showed little interest in a rebuild. They refused to trade Al Horford and Paul Millsap prior to free agency and now have nothing to show for two departed All-Stars.
Mike Budenholzer is a competitive coach and I can’t see him going out of his way to lose games. It will be fascinating to see how he handles a team that is going to constantly be overmatched. They may end up winning some games against other lottery teams simply because of how well they are being coached.
They don’t have to create their own version of “The Process,” but Hawks University will benefit from playing their underclassmen heavy minutes this season
3. Can Kent Bazemore bounce back?
After a solid 2015-16 campaign, Kent Bazemore re-signed with the Hawks on a four-year, $70 million contract. This contract was mostly a product of the cap spike, but it also showed how much the Hawks valued Bazemore’s contributions.
His box score numbers last year look similar to 2015-16, but he was extremely inefficient. He only shot 40 percent from the field and he eventually lost his starting spot.
Even though Bazemore will likely never live up to this inflated contract, he can still be a good NBA player. If he finds his jump shot and brings energy on defense, he will be an important part of the rotation this season.