Boston Celtics talking point No. 3) “Dennis Schroder has been a great starter”
When the Boston Celtics snagged Dennis Schroder in free agency this past summer on a one-year, $5.9 million deal, many deemed the move as being easily the best signing of the offseason.
Fast-forward nearly five months later and we find the veteran point guard having a fine year indeed but, sadly, not contributing as big of an impact for the team as many had hoped when they brought him aboard.
Now don’t get us wrong, Schroder is still producing rather well, boasting an overall stat-line of 16.5 points, 4.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and just shy of a steal per game. That said, he has not exactly been the 2019-20 version of himself that finished second in the running for Sixth Man of the Year, which is certainly something Boston could use coming off their lackluster pine.
This is arguably of little fault of his own, for the 28-year-old has constantly been rotating in and out of the starting lineup all season due to injuries and COVID-19 issues which, in turn, likely has had a negative impact on his psyche — don’t forget, basketball is just as much of a mental game as it is physical and an inconsistent role can easily mess with a player’s production.
Nonetheless, when he’s been serving as a bench player, it’s inarguable that he has not been nearly as effective when compared to his stints in the starting unit which, though may be a deterrent for Boston when it comes to their needs, it could be an intriguing talking point to bring up should Brad Stevens and co. be negotiating with franchises in desperate need of a starting point guard.
In 19 starts this year, Schroder has found himself putting up truly impressive averages of 19.5 points — which is 7.5 more than when coming off the bench — to go along with five assists and 3.8 rebounds on nearly 50 percent shooting from the floor.
With this, perhaps the C’s decision-makers can use this factoid, along with his steal of a salary as a bit of leverage should they be in discussions with point guard hungry teams like, say, the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers, the Denver Nuggets, etc.
As the losses continue to pile up it becomes more and more likely that we’ll be seeing Dennis Schroder involved in trade talks between now and the deadline to try and secure something of value for him before he hits free agency and likely walks away, leaving the Celtics with nothing.
This final talking point is a way for Boston to try and get the most out of a seemingly inevitable Schroder trade.