After a blistering start to the season with the Brooklyn Nets, the Golden State Warriors quickly moved to trade the injured De'Anthony Melton for Dennis Schroder in the hope of providing more life to their floundering offense.
Schroder averaged 18.4 points, 6.6 assists and shot over 38% from 3-point range in 23 games with the Nets, but was simply unable to replicate that form with the Warriors where he struggled to fit in to Steve Kerr's offense.
The Warriors have passed on their Dennis Schroder problem to the Pistons
The veteran point guard averaged just 10.6 and 4.4 assists in his tenure with Golden State. His efficiency dropped off significantly, having shot just 37.5% from the floor and 32.2% from beyond the arc.
Following just 24 games and less than two months with the Warriors, Schroder was moved as part of the blockbuster Jimmy Butler trade. However, while Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Anderson went to the Heat in the deal, Schroder eventually ended up with the Detroit Pistons at the close of the trade deadline.
On the back of an explosive All-Star season from Cade Cunningham, the Pistons have rose from league cellar-dweller to a legitimate playoff contender as they sit as 29-26 and sixth in the Eastern Conference.
You'd think a young developing team could do with the veteran presence Schroder can provide, particularly given the long-term injury to dynamic guard Jaden Ivey. Yet the early results haven't been great for Schroder in Detroit, with the same shooting struggles seemingly transferring from Golden State to his new home.
His first game returned five points and three assists on 1-of-4 shooting against the Charlotte Hornets, while his second outing saw four points and four assists on 1-of-6 shooting. He delivered an improved eight points and four assists on Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls, yet still shot just 3-of-9 from the floor in under 20 minutes off the bench.
Schroder is shooting 5-of-19 (26.3%) from the field across three games, and is subsequently playing less minutes than he did with the Warriors and Nets. The good news for him and the Pistons is that he's been a combined +17 plus-minus over the three games, and more importantly they've won all three outings albeit against lesser opposition.
There's still plenty of time for Schroder to turn around his shooting struggles, but this is now a fairly elongated stretch of inefficient basketball after such a strong start to the season.