Building a team is a painstaking, deliberate venture that could yield any number of results. It takes precision and patience from the organization to navigate through the peaks and valleys. For new Atlanta Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk, building or even rebuilding is not a remote concept.
The Hawks roster is laden with young players who haven’t spent much time in the league. Youth doesn’t change any plans for Atlanta, in fact, it emphasizes them. For now, Hawks management is focused on the internal development of the roster.
“Going into the season, what we’re really focused on is our young guys getting better and developing – individually and as a collective”, Schlenk said during a recent press conference with the media on Friday. “Our hope is to see growth from all our guys. What we see [from the team] in October won’t be what we see in April.”
One of the biggest question marks Atlanta has is point guard Dennis Schroder. The young guard stepped into the starting role for the first time last season after receiving a big contract extension. The 24-year-old, while erratic at times, showed some flashes of his potential. Schroder averaged 18 points and six assists per game last season for the 5th seeded Hawks.
Schroder spent the summer playing in EuroBasket 2017. According to Schlenk, the organization was encouraged by his play.
“I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with Dennis this summer. As you know he played in EuroBasket with the German national team…we’re very excited [about] the way he played.”
While Schroder may just be entering his fifth season in the league, he now has a veteran role. Schroder — and a core consisting of Kent Bazemore and 2017 first round pick John Collins — will have to help navigate the young team through the NBA. The Hawks organization has already begun to see Schroder’s transformation.
“From everything I’ve been told [Schroder] has made a lot of strides not only on the court from his first four years in the NBA but as a person,” Schlenk said. “If you think about it, he comes [to America] as a foreigner [into] a new culture and a new city. It takes some time for young kids to adjust. I’ve been told by everyone [with the Hawks] that he’s shown a ton of growth already, and we have no reason to believe he will continue to show that growth on and off the court.”
Last year, Atlanta had the luxury of having All-Star talent in Paul Millsap and Dwight Howard to lean on. This year, the club may be in jeopardy of making the playoffs. The eastern conference may have softened some, but making the postseason is no guarantee. The Hawks’ focus may not openly be on making the playoffs, but Schlenk believes his team will still come to play during the season.
“The one thing I can say about this group is these are scrappy guys. They’re competitive guys; they’re prideful guys. I think that we’re going to show up every night and we’re going to play hard, together and the right way. [All we can do] is live with the results.”
The 41-year-old general manager isn’t new to NBA front offices. Schlenk has spent a total of 16 years in the NBA. Before being hired by the Atlanta Hawks, Schlenk worked 12 years with the Golden State Warriors. The GM made it very clear that he and the Hawks organization want to acquire players that exemplify qualities similar to those he had in the Bay Area.
“When we were in Golden State one of the first things we did [ as an organization] was look to bring in those high character guys.”
Three-point shooting comes at a premium in the NBA. Coming from Golden State, Schlenk knows that fact well and will try to mold his Atlanta Hawks team using that outline. The Hawks sat near the bottom in terms of 3-point percentage last season. The team added shooters like veterans Marco Belinelli and Luke Babbitt this offseason. Both have become renowned shooters over the course of their careers. Schlenk acknowledged Quinn Cook, who Atlanta signed in September, and second-round draft pick Tyler Dorsey, for their shooting ability.
“One of the things we will look to do [in Atlanta] is to bring in high skill guys. [When] we look at some of the guys that we added this summer; those are guys that can make shots…[that is something] we looked to do in Golden State, too.”
The Atlanta Hawks will have nine draft picks over the next few years. One can surmise that the rebuild will stretch over that length of time. Schlenk knows what it takes to get to the top. As a key decision maker in with the Warriors, he understands what his job will be in Atlanta moving forward.
“We’re going to continue to look to accumulate assets. That’s where the flexibility comes in. Again, it’s just [about] development. There’s a high probability [that] we’re going to be a little bit younger next year. We need to keep developing the young pieces that we have.”
