It’s all in the wrist.
Why has Dennis Schroder so drastically improved his outside shot this season? Credit a slight adjustment to his shooting motion.
The Hawks second-year point guard said he worked with assistant coaches to remove a “lurch” in his wrist. In keeping his hand and wrist in a tighter position, Schroder delivers a smoother shot.
The results speak for themselves – especially from 3-point range.
Schroder is shooting .538 (14 of 26) from 3-point range over the past nine games heading into Wednesday’s game against the Nuggets. He made at least one long-distance shot in each of those nine games, including a career-high three in a win over the Mavericks Feb. 25.
“It’s a little thing but it keeps the shot real smooth,” Schroder said. “It’s coming.”
Schroder even got some advice from sharp-shooter Kyle Korver, including how to get his shot up quicker.
Korver wasn’t the only person Schroder sought out for advice. He recently requested a meeting with head coach Mike Budenholzer. The reserve wanted to know what he could do to further improve his game.
“There are lots of little things on our offensive execution,” Budenholzer said. “It’s not one big thing. It’s a lot of little things – our pace, him getting up the court, getting his outlets up the court, a better understanding of where everybody is, how to use his speed, defensively on the boards and rebounding.
“In the same breath, he’s made a lot of incredible progress in a lot of those same areas and he can go further.”
Schroder said his motivation for the meeting was simple.
“I’m never going to be satisfied,” he said. “I want to get better every day and don’t try to waste my time. I did a great step from last year to this year. I still want to get better and one day be a starter.”
Schroder indeed has made giant strides from last season. As a rookie, Schroder played in 49 games and averaged 3.7 points and 1.9 assists in 13.1 minutes. He shot .425 from the field, including just .238 from 3-point range. This season, he has appeared in 61 games and averaged 9.1 points and 4.0 assists in 19.0 minutes. He shot .433 from the field, including .357 from 3-point range.
Schroder shot .478 from 3-point range in February to follow up a .417 percentage in January.
In his previous five games, Schroder averaged 15.0 points, 8.0 assists. He scored in double-figures and had at least six assists in each. He has scored in double-figures 30 times this season. He did so just twice as a rookie.
“Last year was really hard on me,” Schroder said. “I think I’m good because they keep pushing me and yelling at me when I do something wrong. That’s a big reason I improved this year.”
As the Hawks’ confidence in Schroder grows, he continues to get more valuable minutes, including late-game action. Budenholzer has used Schroder and starter Jeff Teague on the court at the same time in a lineup that provides matchup problems for opposing guards. Schroder has continued to be a menace with his ability to get in the paint and finish at the rim.
All along, Schroder’s confidence has grown. That was clearly evident when he exchanged words with the Cavaliers’ LeBron James in a game last week.
“It is important that he continues to work on this shooting,” Budenholzer said. “I think his confidence is growing as we speak. That is important to his growth and our success with him on the court. I think he is putting the time and effort in and he’s going to keep getting better.”
