Welcome back to the states, Malcolm Delaney...

[sturt]

Shams says we just signed to a 2 year guaranteed deal.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, sturt said:

Shams says we just signed to a 2 year guaranteed deal.

they haven't learned  with these 2 year deals?  oh, who? lol.

[sturt]

Website... http://malcolmd23.com/

 

[DUrce1]

Nice video, but he's going to need to work on his dribble. It's too high. He'll get his pocket picked a lot in the NBA.

[sturt]

Congrats on that first-ever post @DUrce1.... new to the Hawks, or just new to the board?

[DUrce1]

1 minute ago, sturt said:

Congrats on that first-ever post @DUrce1. New to the Hawks, or just new to the board?

Thanks @sturt! I have always been a Hawks fan, i'm 42. I've been lurking on the board for about 11 years.  I moved to Seattle a few years ago and now this is the only way I get to talk Hawks basketball.

[sturt]

Wondering about summer league eligibility rules... will we be able to see this guy in a few days?

[Thomas]

2 minutes ago, DUrce1 said:

Thanks @sturt! I have always been a Hawks fan, i'm 42. I've been lurking on the board for about 11 years.  I moved to Seattle a few years ago and now this is the only way I get to talk Hawks basketball.

Glad your here. This is a wild and crazy time of year to talk Hawks.

[bird_dirt]

He will be a "supreme" addition! Well ladies and gentlemen, we can close the books on this year's off season - we're all set!

[Guest]

Malcolm Delaney is looking to make an impact with the Atlanta Hawks

Quote

Atlanta Hawks guard Malcolm Delaney took an interesting path to the NBA. A four-year player out of Virginia Tech, Delaney went undrafted and headed overseas in hopes of further developing his game. He found a home in Europe and quickly became one of the best international players in the game. Delaney finally made his return to the states this summer agreeing to a multi-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks.

“The biggest thing for me, I wanted to go over there and develop my game as much as possible so I could eventually come back. I ultimately changed my goal to be one of the best players in Europe instead of just making it to the NBA. I just wanted to make sure that I was good and my family was good financially,” Delaney said when asked about why this was the right time to come to the NBA.”

“I started working my way up over there, I was comfortable where I was at. I made it to be one of the best players over there. I didn’t want to chase the NBA. I wanted it to be a situation where a team wanted me and I didn’t have to come over here and take a minimum deal and be the last man on the bench just to be on a roster.”

The Hawks were no stranger to Delaney and General Manager Wes Wilcox had become one of his biggest fans. Delaney worked out for the Hawks in Atlanta last summer but the timing wasn’t right for either party. So it was natural that they revisited the situation again this summer.

 

“I just wanted the opportunity of a club that I fit in well with,” Delaney added. “Atlanta was the best situation I think for me. Speaking with everybody around here, this is probably the best or if not one of the top three organizations in the NBA. So it just felt comfortable. Wes was a big fan of me for a while. He scouted me and talked to me a lot. They tried to get me in last summer but it didn’t work out.”

As far as his fit on the court, Delaney brings a variety of skills to the table. He has developed into a quality playmaker but also possesses a strong jump shot. He knocked down 37 percent of his three-point attempts last season while playing for Lokomotiv Kuban.

When asked to describe his game, Delaney was a bit reluctant to pigeon hole himself into a singular position and instead said that his versatility and ability to adapt to his teammates was one of his biggest strengths as a player.

 

“I think the best part about my game is that I can adapt to anything,” Delaney said. “I can be a point guard. If you want me to go out, don’t shoot and get 15 assists, I can do that. Do you want me to go get 20 points? I can do that. So I think playing in Europe was the biggest thing that helped me the most. I can go into any situation and I can make sure everybody around me is happy as well as doing what I do.”

“I was a score first player first so I kind of developed into a point guard,” Delaney added. “I still have that combo guard instinct and it is just my playmaking. I never consider myself a point guard, I’m just a playmaker. I just make plays. I fit well into that because I can do both.”

Dennis Schröder appears to be entrenched as the team’s new starter at point guard but there is an opening behind him. The team brought in veteran Jarrett Jack this summer but he is still recovering from an ACL injury that he suffered last season and has not been cleared for full contact. That is an opportunity for Delaney and one that he is hoping to capitalize on.

“Yeah that is why they brought me here. I’m a rookie but I’m not really a rookie. For me, basketball really wasn’t a worry. Once I get to know all of my teammates and what they do, I can play with anybody and I can do whatever they need me to do. Whenever I get my opportunity I will take advantage of it.”

http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2016/9/28/13071396/malcolm-delaney-atlanta-hawks-impact-training-camp

[Guest]

Quote

As Jeff Teague departed and Dennis Schröder acquired the starting point guard role for the Hawks in the 2016 offseason, one key question presented itself.

Would Atlanta experience a bigger drop-off in production from the hole left by Teague in the starting lineup, or the hole left by Schröder on the bench?

The answer seemed to become the backup point guard position — mainly due to a disturbingly quiet offseason in which the Hawks backcourt moves were signing an injured Jarrett Jack and a 27-year old who had never played a minute in the NBA.

Malcolm Delaney has quickly proven that the minutes he received overseas were plenty enough to prepare him for a major role in Atlanta’s offense. Playing 17 minutes per game as the setup man, Delaney has let everyone know that he isn’t your typical rookie.

 

“He’s been great,” Hawks guard Kyle Korver said. “We were all here in September playing pick-up together, and we all saw right away what kind of player he is. This is his rookie year, but he’s obviously not a rookie. He’s just so steady. He’s picked up the offense well, he’s a great set up guy as far as seeing the spots and seeing what’s open.”

Representing one of the integral parts of Atlanta’s bench, Delaney has played a key role in the NBA’s top second unit early in the season. Of all players to appear in every game this season, only Steph Curry, Lebron James, the Clippers starting lineup, and fellow teammate Thabo Sefolosha have a higher plus-minus per game than Delaney. Overall, the Hawks are plus-85 with him on the court through nine contests this season.

“He makes a lot of good decisions,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “He competes defensively. He’s been very good on the ball, keeping the ball in front. He makes decisions, he makes pull-up shots. We have a lot of guys that are playing well right now, a lot of guys that are playing with confidence. We’re mixing and matching well, they’re sharing the ball well. I think to have that kind of wave come off the bench ... that’s what it takes for us to be good.”

 

Despite not overwhelming opponents so far with an abundance of scoring or jaw-dropping plays, the effect of Delaney has been apparent when he’s on the floor. In a role that Schröder occasionally brought up-and-down and unpredictable production to a season ago, Delaney has delivered steady and efficient play to give the Hawks a much-needed boost from the bench.

“When we’ve pushed out leads, it’s usually been guys in the second unit that have done it,” Korver said. “It puts some pressure on the first group to be a little better, because we want to push out leads too. At the same time, it’s just a huge plus for us.”

Saturday night’s win over the Sixers proved to be no different for Delaney. He finished the game with nine points and six assists. The Hawks were plus-10 with him on the court. Primarily operating out of the pick-and-roll with Paul Millsap or Dwight Howard as the screener, Delaney showed the poise of a veteran as he established position as the ball handler and picked his spots to attack or dish it off to the big man.

“A lot,” Delaney said of how much having Millsap and Howard help his game. “People focus not only on me shooting ... I’m used to people focusing on me, now they’re focused on them a little, so I get more room. Then if I make one or two shots, they’ve got to play me, so I can help them get a little easier shots too. Europe is all pick-and-roll, so I’m used to playing it. The more play I get and playing with different people, I get to play more of my game, so I felt comfortable today.”

As more trends and numbers develop with each game, the Hawks have shown to be a much better team with Delaney on the court. While the sample size is still relatively small, the on/off splits are telling of his success. With Delaney off the court, Atlanta’s offensive rating is 104.7 and its defensive rating is 105.6. Opponents are scoring .9 more points per 100 possessions than the Hawks when he isn’t on the floor. With Delaney on the court, Atlanta’s ORtg jumps up to 114.9, and its DRtg falls to 88.7. Atlanta is 26.2 points per 100 possessions better than its opponent when he is playing, making Delaney’s on/off net rating plus-27.1.

Perhaps an even more promising and telling sign of Delaney’s effect is making teammates around him better. More than 26 percent of Delaney’s passes to teammates have gone to Millsap this season — the highest mark of any player — while Millsap has received more than 16 percent of passes coming his way from Delaney. He’s only shot more attempts off of passes coming from Schröder, but Millsap’s 54 percent field goal percentage from Delaney passes is his best mark from any teammate. Kent Bazemore is the only other teammate that Millsap has better than a 50 percent mark on from incoming passes.

What came into the year as a huge question mark has turned into one of the most promising early-season results for the Hawks. As Delaney continues to get more confident and grow into the role, the product figures to only get better. Late in Saturday night’s game, the communication and comfort from Delaney in the offense showcased itself in a beautiful way. Driving toward the right baseline, Delaney turned back toward half court and spotted Howard jogging into the paint. With a slight nod to the big man, Delaney quickly spun back toward the baseline as Howard cut at the basket.

With a light lob into the air, the rookie point guard tallied another assist as Howard slammed home the alley-oop.

http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2016/11/14/13620998/malcolm-delaney-erased-doubt-atlanta-hawks-point-guard

[benhillboy]

His intangibles speak much louder than any skills he has.  I've appreciated his decision-making, poise, and awareness a great deal.  I still can't draw a comparison because he never looks for a shot.  A much weaker Derek Fisher I guess: no turnovers, good vision, rarely hurts the team.

I realize plus/minus and on/off numbers can be easily cherry picked and manipulated to make a point, but they ain't lying.  I know Bud is fully aware of and thrilled with the team's performance with him at Point.  Let's see him keep it up against the best of the West.

Edited November 16, 2016 by benhillboy