The Golden State Warriors uncorked the drain of NBA trade season this year. They added Dennis Schroder in a deal with the Brooklyn Nets, giving them another guy who can handle the ball and make stuff happen, with or without Stephen Curry on the floor alongside him. It’s an experiment the Boston Celtics tried once before.
Prior to his time with the Nets and before stints with the Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors, Schroder played for the Celtics. They signed him in free agency of 2021, bringing him on board to be a hybrid starter/bench player, hoping to give Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown some additional support.
But things didn’t go according to plan.
Celtics learned a Dennis Schroder lesson the Warriors could be approaching
A quick glance at his stats reveals a solid player. In his 49 games with the Celtics, Schroder averaged 14.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists while shooting 44.0% from the floor and 34.9% from deep.
However, the statistical impact Schroder made on the floor was upended by his shaky on-court fit with Boston’s other players. By the deadline, the Celtics were hovering around .500, and they shipped Schroder to Houston.
By the time the playoffs rolled around, the Celtics were cruising, and they ended up making the Finals to go up against the very Warriors who are entering the Schroder world today.
Schroder is a fine NBA player. He’s a quality on-ball defender, he’s great at running an offense, and his individual scoring is very useful. But he needs the ball in his hands to be at his best.
In Boston, that wasn’t ideal. Guys like Tatum and Brown had the ball too much for him to be at his best, and when Schroder did get the ball, it meant that Tatum and Brown were reserved to primarily off-ball roles. Plus, the shooting of Marcus Smart didn't pair well with Schroder, either.
Golden State is a bit of a better fit for Schroder than Boston was. Stephen Curry is the only guy who needs the ball a lot, and even he has proven comfortable playing away from the ball in the past.
But if Schroder comes in and takes on a largely on-ball role, it could be at the expense of touches for guys like Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski. And if his hot shooting declines, his off-ball impact won’t be ideal, either. Plus, like with the Celtics and Smart, the Warriors could run into some lineups where the floor spacing is less than ideal.
The Celtics didn’t really need a ball-dominant guy when they acquired Schroder, as Tatum and Brown were rapidly improving. The Warriors do need someone to handle things when Curry is off the floor, so Schroder will be great for that.
But that’s not where the problems lie, and Boston knows that very well. If the fit of Schroder and Curry looks anything like what it did with the Celtics and Tatum and Brown, the Warriors may not be too pleased.