The Golden State Warriors are striking early this trade season, swapping out the injured De'Anthony Melton for Brooklyn Nets point guard Dennis Schroder. It's a deal that communicates not only that they are not confident in their own backcourt options beyond Stephen Curry this season, but also that they believe in what Schroder can bring to the team.
For a team trying to maximize this season with Curry still playing at an All-NBA level, it's a bet that they can unlock the very best of Dennis Schroder's game. The veteran guard has had a wildly inconsistent career, putting in some truly excellent seasons but also struggling in various stops.
How can the Warriors get the very best out of Schroder? Somehow, they need to find a way to unlock Olympic Dennis.
Dennis Schroder is an amazing international player
For his career, Dennis Schroder has averaged 12 shots per game, scoring 14.2 points and hitting 1.3 triples per contest. Those numbers have gone up and down for Schroder, but those are the averages across 12 seasons.
In FIBA competition for his native country of Germany, however, the numbers spike. Suddenly Schroder is averaging 13.8 shots en route to 20.2 points and an even two triples per game. His assists, steals and free-throw attempts all go up in international competition. In this part summer's Summer Olympics in Paris, Schroder was second in the competition in 3-pointers (behind only Stephen Curry), third in assists and ninth in scoring.
For some players, they play for international teams without any NBA talent; they need their one star to shine. For others, they need to find ways to fit in alongside other talented players, and the environment is closer to an NBA locker room.
Germany is closer to the second camp, especially with bruising big men such as Isaiah Hartenstein and Mo Wagner and another offensive star in Franz Wagner. Schroder is an elite pick-and-roll threat with Germany on the international stage, and he maximizes the players around him while also taking on a large role in the offense.
Playing for the Brooklyn Nets over the first few months of this season and the final months of last season, Schroder tapped into the effectiveness he has when playing for Team Germany. Schroder is scoring 18.4 points per game this year, his most in five seasons, and his 6.6 assists are the most of his career. How did Brooklyn tap into Olympic Dennis?
In part, they did so by putting the ball in his hands.
Schroder needs a large role on the Warriors
Any player coming onto the Warriors who expects to have a gigantic, high-usage role can check their egos at the door. Steve Kerr loves a flowing, egalitarian offense where multiple players touch the ball and defenses don't know which Warrior is going to attack.
At times, however, that system has led to less-capable players taking too many shots, while Curry and their other high-octane stars have been less involved. To maximize the impact that Dennis Schroder can have in Golden State, he is going to have to touch the ball.
While playing for Germany, Schroder initiates nearly every play. That doesn't mean he is pounding the rock or even that he is taking a plethora of shots, but he is getting things started for his team. He thrived at the Olympics this year playing alongside another offensive star (in international terms) in Franz Wagner. He thrived in Brooklyn playing with the extremely high-usage Cam Thomas. His best year in the NBA was in Oklahoma CIty in 2019-20 playing with Chris Paul.
It's not that Schroder has to be the centerpiece of the team, but he is not at his best as a marginalized spot-up shooter. This season, Schroder is shooting nearly as well on pull-up 3-pointers as he is on catch-and-shoot attempts. He has also increased the percentage of such shots that he takes unassisted; essentially, he is more confident in his pull-up jumper and is knocking it down at a high enough clip to justify it. Overall, Schroder is attempting the most 3-pointers of his career; that may be in part linked to growth in his game, but it also seems to be a factor of Schroder touching the ball enough to get into a rhythm.
Schroder has increased his usage rate this season to the highest since 2019-20, but that's at a reasonable 24.3 percent. That might come down with the Warriors, but it needs to stay close to that number to maximize Schroder's comfort within the offense and allow him to score and pass at his optimum level. De'Anthony Melton was at 23.2 percent usage before he went down, so the formula is there.
With the German National Team, Schroder runs a pick-and-roll heavy approach. On the Nets this season, however, the offense has been more varied, proving that Schroder can thrive without running one action again and again. That should bode well moving to a Warriors team that refuses to lean too heavily on pick-and-roll actions.
The final area where the Warriors need to set up Schroder for success is at the defensive end. He is no defensive stopper, and when he has to exert himself at the defensive end as the primary backcourt defender, his numbers have tended to wane over his career. Put him on the floor with an on-ball menace and free him up to maximize his effort on offense and you get one of the best point guards in the league.
When Schroder joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2022-23 he was shoved into a smaller role behind Russell Westbrook and D'Angelo Russell and he struggled; he also never had defensive support and was asked to be a 3-and-D guard playing alongside other on-ball dominators. Things didn't go well for Schroder.
That stands in stark contrast to this season, where Schroder has started every game and been a featured part of the offense. Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez, himself a veteran of international basketball, has put the ball in the hands of Schroder and allowed him to cook. That hasn't meant a heliocentric offense, but it has meant featuring Schroder as an offensive linchpin and giving him the support he needs -- shooters and cutters around him, defensive wings to support him, and the green light to pull-up from 3-point range if he likes the shot.
Can the Warriors maximize Dennis Schroder?
Can the Warriors provide that environment for Schroder? Can they make the necessary commitment to Schroder as a large piece of the offense while not sacrificing the offensive approach that maximizes Stephen Curry? Can the two coexist in the backcourt and help one another to thrive?
The answer could be yes. Curry has the offball gravity to allow other players to initiate the offense and find openings, and Schroder should have room to be featured on second units, similar to how Chris Paul was last season. Buddy Hield has been given a green light from deep and the Warriors as a whole are a high-volume 3-point team. Schroder should fit right in on that end.
Defensively, the Warriors have a number of options even with the loss of Melton to help protect Schroder, from Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II on the wing to one of the best defenders of all time behind him in Draymond Green.
That doesn't mean the path is paved in gold for Schroder to thrive on the Warriors. Other players have come to the dynastic Warriors and struggled. Jonathan Kuminga is trying to establish himself as a high-usage offensive player, while Brandin Podziemski is high on his own supply and struggling to "fit in" as a role player. Buddy Hield wants to get up shots. Andrew Wiggins needs touches. Moses Moody deserves a few.
What a point guard like Schroder can do, however, is set those players up for success by organizing the offense. He is one of the better passers in the league, and if the Warriors can shift their approach just slightly and allow Schroder some possessions with the ball without needing a dribble handoff from Green or Looney at the elbow, he may be able to get penetration into the defense and kick out to shooters. His passing is an underrated part of his game, and the Warriors need a player who can make good decisions with the ball in their hands and handle in late-game situations.
Dennis Schroder has the potential to be everything the Warriors need from a veteran addition, a player who is comfortable taking and making shots, can pass his teammates open, and is not afraid of the moment. The fit may not be seamless, but the potential is there for things to click - if the Warriors can set him up to succeed.
Give him a large role in the offense, support him on defense, and don't flinch when he shoots it from deep. Do that, and the Warriors just might unlock Olympic Dennis.