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Chicago Bulls at Atlanta Hawks: Game Outlook

By Daniel Coughlin

Nov 2, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Chicago Bulls point guard Rajon Rondo (9) watches the game from the side line while laying on the floor during the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. The Boston Celtics won 107-100. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 2, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Chicago Bulls point guard Rajon Rondo (9) watches the game from the side line while laying on the floor during the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. The Boston Celtics won 107-100. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 31, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks players including forward Kent Bazemore (arms raised) react on the bench after defeating the Sacramento Kings at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Kings 106-95. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 31, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks players including forward Kent Bazemore (arms raised) react on the bench after defeating the Sacramento Kings at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Kings 106-95. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

Atlanta Backcourt

Part of the Hawks’ success is due to their backcourt pairing with the frontcourt. Bazemore and new starting point guard Dennis Schroder combined to shoot 62 percent on 29 shots against the Cavaliers on Tuesday.

Schroder, if you squint, looks a bit like Rondo, but with much better hair. Much better hair is easy in comparison to Rondo, but that is beside the point. They both stand 6-foot-1 and have a lot of trouble shooting well. Of course, I say that immediately after he shoots 10-for-16 from the field the night before facing Chicago.

The point remains, he’s shooting 33.3 percent on 3-point attempts and coming into this season, his first as the primary starting point guard, he hasn’t developed the elite passing and high IQ of Rondo and really hasn’t shown a knack for assists despite having an offense that predicates itself on movement and provides capable pick-and-roll partners in Millsap and Howard.

It feels like the struggling Rondo, who found his way to the bench pretty early against Orlando, might be the perfect defensive matchup to facilitate Schroder in his efforts to keep his hot streak rolling. Switching won’t be a great option either, because the more explosive shooting guard, Bazemore, is coming off his own 8-for-13 nights with 25 points, 4-for-6 from 3-point range.

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As mentioned earlier, Bazemore was probably keyed up to take on LeBron and the Cavs, which could have contributed to his big night, but he’s going to have a good chance to follow up Tuesday with a second big game. The guard switching option isn’t there, Wade and Rondo are equal parts unable to cope with a dynamic guard that depends more on athleticism than skill, which is how I understand Bazemore has been playing. Again, haven’t had a chance to scout the Hawks yet this season so hit the comments if you’re seeing something different from Baze this season.

If Wade or Rondo gets pulled, we’re probably talking about Isaiah Canaan and Doug McDermott as the replacements. While Canaan at least tries, neither player has strong defending capabilities and won’t offer an upgrade over the starters for much of the game.

The ability to cope with this Atlana backcourt is going to come the same way it has all season – if you can’t stop them, outscore them. Hopefully, tired legs with have the Hawks looking flat and slow in transition where Chicago really needs to show effort to improve their game and take advantage of easy looks at the rim.

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