Dennis Schroder was never able to find his footing with the Golden State Warriors, having spent just 24 games with the franchise before he was shipped off prior to the trade deadline earlier this month.
The veteran point guard was brought to the Warriors to provide support for Stephen Curry and help jolt the offense when the 2x MVP was off the floor. The fit was far less seamless than expected though, with Golden State only going further downhill following Schroder's acquisition.
Dennis Schroder is providing positive impact to the Detroit Pistons
Rather than head to the Miami Heat with former Warrior teammates Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Anderson, Schroder landed with the Detroit Pistons and rising star Cade Cunningham. The Pistons have actually taken a significant leap from years at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, and appear headed for a playoff spot as Schroder finds himself in a spot that may be more preferable than where he was with the Warriors and Brooklyn Nets.
Detroit and Schroder have actually been beneficial for each other -- something that wasn't the case in his time with Golden State. In 628 minutes with Schroder on the floor, the Warriors were a -130 as the 31-year-old struggled to have any sort of positive impact.
Fast-forward to now and while Schroder's shooting percentages remain low, the German is having a significant impact on a team that has won its past seven games -- six of which have come since his arrival.
dennis schroder to detroit will matter more than the average fan gave it credit for in the postseason
— jeff (@DedicationHoops) February 23, 2025
Dennis Schroder btw. Even without scoring, impacting this bench unit so much.
— PistonsMuse (@PistonsMuse) February 25, 2025
I just realized the Pistons are 6-0 in the Dennis Schroder era
— 𝓪𝓵𝓮𝔁 💫 (@GibbsForSix) February 25, 2025
Detroit are a +31 in Schroder's minutes on the floor so far, proving that he can be an impactful winning NBA player in a way he simply wasn't with Golden State. The Pistons actually did the Warriors a favor on Monday, with Schroder a +14 in a 107-96 win over the L.A Clippers that pulls Golden State to win a game of their pacific rival for the sixth-seed in the West.
It really has been a win-win trade so far, at least from the Warriors and Pistons perspective. Golden State used the salary of a player that wasn't really helping them in a package to get a legitimate second star, with Jimmy Butler having revived the franchise more than even the biggest optimists could have expected.
Schroder meanwhile has had a far easier transition to Detroit, with the Pistons essentially using their cap space to acquire a veteran player who's already proven valuable to a young, playoff-bound team.