NBA Playoffs: 10 sleeper players to watch in Round 1

Dennis Schroder

Dennis Schroder can be one of the most impactful players in the Hawks’ series against the Celtics. It promises to be one of the closest contests in the first round we’ll see, featuring two of the NBA’s top four defenses and a host of well-rounded, well-coached talent.

That alone should make this a tight, gritty series, placing a lot of pressure and potential x-factor nature on a player like Schroder who doesn’t necessarily come to mind as one of the biggest names.

And that’s the case, he isn’t even the Hawks’ starter over Jeff Teague and he’s had a slightly turbulent season at times. However, Schroder’s talent is clear, with the way he can provide a quick scoring spark both outside and inside the arc and distribute the ball to his teammates.

In only 20 minutes per game, Schroder makes an awful lot of difference with his playmaking ability and often lively defense. In fact, when converting his averages into per 36 minute numbers, his 19.5 points, 7.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals are seriously impressive.

The question around Schroder is whether or not he’ll fare well against the Celtics’ stellar perimeter defenders like Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart and Jae Crowder. If Schroder impresses to come out on top when he controls the Hawks’ offense, then he’ll become a key player to watch all series. If Schroder falters and the Celtics smother him to force bad possessions and turnovers, as they do with so many opponents, Brad Stevens’ squad could create damaging transition runs in an instant.

Next: Danny Green