Golden State Warriors: Dennis Schroder would be a great sixth-man
By Tony Pesta
The Golden State Warriors need to revamp their second unit and Dennis Schroder would be a perfect player to fill in the sixth man role.
It may seem like the Golden State Warriors are stifled by their cap situation but a massive trade exception from Andre Iguodala will open up roughly $17 million dollars for next season if they are able to remain under the hard cap. This could be enough to acquire the quietly talented guard, Dennis Schroder.
Originally described as the ‘french Rajon Rando’, during his time in Atlanta, Schroder has blossomed into an extremely effective point guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He is one of the main reasons the three-headed monster of him, Shai Gilgeous Alexander and Chris Paul have been so deadly this season.
In fact, the trio of SGA, Paul and Schroder hold the highest Net Rating of any three-man lineup to play more than 200 minutes together this season. Schroder’s versatility is a huge factor behind this.
Schroder is capable of doing it all as a point guard. He is a skilled playmaker, pesky defender and reliable scorer. On the season, Dennis is averaging 19.0 points, 4.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game. His performances have helped push the Thunder into the playoff picture after being projected as a bottom team in the Western Conference.
The Warriors would be thrilled to have Schroder as their replacement for Stephen Curry. He has proven to be a trustworthy rotational player and could serve them well in a deep playoff push. Not to mention, a lineup of Curry, Schroder and Klay Thompson would likely be just as deadly as the one in OKC.
The importance of having a well-rounded lineup cannot go understated when competing for a championship. If the Warriors really want to claw their way out of the lottery and return to the NBA Finals, picking up a quality bench player such as Schroder seems like a winning move.