Boston Celtics: 2 midseason departures that paved way to Finals berth

Former Boston Celtics player No. 2) Dennis Schroder

Before Derrick White was serving as the primary backup for Marcus Smart within the rotation, veteran guard, Dennis Schroder, was manning this role and, in fact, was producing rather well in it.

After failing to live up to the lofty expectations that came with serving as the starting floor general for the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers just a year after posting 18.9 points and four assists per game as a sixth man with OKC, the, then, 27-year-old’s stock plummeted so low to the point where he wound up settling for a one-year, $5.9 million deal with the Boston Celtics.

Due to his high-end potential (finished second in Sixth Man of the Year running back in 2019 and was one of just 16 players to total 6,000 points and 1,500 assists since the start of 2016-17 when coming into the year), many deemed the signing as arguably the best of the entire offseason and, though he never managed to live up to this status, the veteran did see some solid production when donning the green and white threads.

Through 49 games played, Schroder posted impressive per-game averages of 14.4 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.3 rebounds on 44 percent shooting from the floor and 35 percent shooting from deep whilst often serving as the team’s spar-plug off the pine.

That said, though he was brought on to be a backup, due to a myriad of health ailments early on, the guard wound up starting more than half of the games he suited up for, which is where his impact really shined the brightest.

In 25 occasions slotted into the first five lineup, the German-born baller posted 18.6 points, five assists, 3.9 rebounds, and just under a steal on 48.6 percent shooting from deep and 38 percent shooting from deep.

Ultimately, it was apparent that the risk of losing him in the coming offseason due to simply playing himself out of Boston’s price range was becoming far too real and, to prevent having him leave for absolutely nothing, Brad Stevens opted to send him off to Houston in exchange for former fan favorite big, Daniel Theis, and more available minutes within their backcourt rotation.

Said availability wound up being filled by the acquisition of Derrick White at the deadline and, of course, the rest is history.

Without Schroder’s departure, the former Spurs guard would have never been able to be logging the near-30 minutes he is with this championship-aspiring squad.