The Warriors made their first move, bringing in Dennis Schroder, who is in great form for the Brooklyn Nets. This season, the German guard averaged 18.4 points and 6.6 assists per game. Schroder promises to be a consistent scorer alongside Curry, but it depends on how Steve Kerr uses him.
Schroder is a talented but system-sensitive defender. He has played for eight teams in the last eight seasons. So, what can Schroder bring to the Warriors?
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What can Schroder bring to the Warriors?
Schroder was brought in to add variety to the Warriors’ Stephen Curry-reliant offense, but he didn’t fit into the system Steve Kerr built.
Schroder’s strongest point in his playing style is his quick and unexpected bursts of speed. Schroder is very good at breaking out, ranking 12th in the NBA in breaks per game this season. This makes Schroder an excellent pick and roll defender.
However, the Warriors have never been a pick-and-roll team in the Steve Kerr era. The Warriors often favor off-ball runs, screens, and cuts. They are the least pick-and-roll team in the NBA this season.
Kerr understands this and is willing to adjust his attack to further exploit Schroder’s strengths.
“We really need a pick-and-roll player right now,” Kerr told Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “In the last 10 games, our pick-and-roll efficiency has been the worst in the league. Teams are focusing on Steph. You can’t ask him to run every pick-and-roll. Dennis is a pick-and-roll player.
“I think if you look at the league, the way it’s evolved over the last few years, the best offenses have two point guards.”
This isn’t the first time Kerr has tried to change his offense to accommodate a guard with a different skill set. Chris Paul is one of the masters of the pick-and-roll, and Kerr made similar changes to his team’s offense last season to take advantage of him.
“Dennis loves to run pick-and-rolls,” Kerr continued. “We love to run off-balls. But we love to do both. A year ago, we had Chris Paul, and Chris was great. We ran a lot of pick-and-rolls with Chris, and our offense was pretty good. I think it was seventh in efficiency at the end of the year.”
With the Warriors, Paul is a star bench player. CP3 calls pick and rolls with Saric or TJD. And Schroder can do the same. The Warriors have beaten teams with Curry on the court, but when No. 30 is off the court, the opposite happens. The Warriors are vulnerable without Curry.
Running more pick-and-rolls with Schroder is a good idea and would help the Warriors play a more modern style of basketball. Draymond Green is a supporter of the idea, admitting that Golden State needs to change.
“I don’t think Schroder was brought here to fit into our system,” Green told Slater. “We play a consistent, different style of basketball for him. And I don’t think the goal is to force Schroder into this system. We need someone who can do what he does. I hope we adapt to him.”
Schroder will help improve the offense with a 38.7% 3-point shooting percentage and good creativity. On defense, the Warriors remain competitive in matches with a 6th-ranked defense in the league and Schroder will help strengthen it.
Kerr believes Schroder can be a “two-way” player, calling him an excellent defender who steals the ball and puts pressure on opponents to lose possession.
Schroder is a physical defender who needs the right system to maximize his abilities. Kerr has managed a number of big stars in Golden State. He has experience and will have a lot to do with Schroder, a talented but system-sensitive defender.
Regardless, this is still a trade worth looking forward to for the Warriors, as they always have the option to trade Schroder again before the trade deadline if the German guard can’t adapt to the Bay Area.
