If the Golden State Warriors offense was clicking on Sunday night, the Dallas Mavericks were reciting Shakespeare in morse code.
In a game that featured an NBA-record 48 made threes, the Warriors consistently struggled to contain Mavericks guards Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving both at the perimeter and driving to the paint. Dončić had a 40-point triple-double with five minutes left in the third quarter, while posting a final stat line of 45 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists. Irving, although less effective, posted 21 points, 3 rebounds, and 8 assists.
While the Mavericks' elusive backcourt has certainly presented issues for a number of teams this season, their ability to space the floor and electrify the perimeter was put on full display on Sunday night in front of a packed Chase Center. Wiggins, who has posted a 3.2 defensive box plus-minus this season, struggled to stay with Dončić and close out effectively, leaving Dončić's 3-point shot to fly freely on an already hot night for the star.
Buddy Hield and Gary Payton II split duties guarding Kyrie Irving, and both struggled to stay with the dynamic ball-handler. Irving was limited only by the manner in which the Mavericks' offense ran heavily through Dončić.
Luckily, the Warriors have their potential solution to this issue en route to the Bay Area as we speak.
How Dennis Schröder's addition can help the Warriors
With their acquisition of Dennis Schröder from the Brooklyn Nets becoming official earlier on Sunday, the Warriors have gained a point guard with the lateral quickness and intensity to guard other teams' best guards effectively, including Dončić and Irving.
Schröder, in addition to career highs in almost all his offensive categories, has posted a 118.9 defensive rating this season: good for sixth-best among all NBA point guards. Unlike Steph Curry or the slow-footed Brandin Podziemski, Schröder has the capabilities to keep shifty ball-handlers in front of him, forcing contested threes and limiting their passing lanes with his quickness.
In facing a team like the Mavericks, who have a lethal third option in sharpshooter Klay Thompson, there is little to no room for error on defense. If Dončić or Irving draws a help defender, Thompson, or even PJ Washington, apparently, can be deadly with the resulting time and space at the perimeter. Ultimately, the Warriors lost to the Mavericks because they were unable to slow Dončić, and he was able to control the floor to his liking.
Schröder's ability to guard in isolation against these types of opposing players might not be the difference between a play-in and a championship team, but it could be the difference between winning and losing a Western Conference shootout like Sunday's game.
What place does Schröder have in the rotation?
Schröder gives head coach Steve Kerr a plethora of options in a rotation he has already stretched to its combinational limit. If he were to start at shooting guard alongside Curry, this would maximize his minutes against the other team's top guard. Schröder has played at the two at various points throughout his career and could contribute heavily to the Warriors' starters defense-by-committee approach.
However, he could also shepherd the bench unit, displacing Brandon Podziemski to the shooting guard position. As Podziemski has struggled to create offense as the primary ball-handler this season, Schröder's presence could unlock Podziemski to focus more on his shooting. Pair this with Draymond Green's recent presence on the bench unit, and the Warriors would have a scary defensive lineup to fill out the non-Steph minutes.
However he is used, Schröder presents the Warriors with a Swiss army knife that has been tailor-made for situations like the one the Warriors found themselves in against the Mavericks, with the 31-year-old holding the potential to make the entire Golden State lineup more comfortable defensively.