The Detroit Pistons needed a backup point guard even before Jaden Ivey went out with a broken leg.
The young guards were turning the ball over too much and struggling to close out games, so many of us were lobbying for a veteran to help them in those areas.
I was specifically lobbying for Dennis Schroder, a player I have always liked for the Pistons and have written about many times, even before this season.
The need for a veteran backup became more acute when Ivey got injured, but Trajan Langdon had to wait another month before making arguably his best move of the season, which was trading for Dennis Schroder.
The Dennis Schroder trade was good from day one for the Detroit Pistons
Schroder got plenty of attention after his monster game 2 that included a dagger three-pointer that may have saved the Pistons season, as the Knicks had tied the game, had all of the momentum and were looking like they were going to snatch another game away.
But Schroder’s impact on the Pistons started well before the playoffs, as he made a difference right away and is one of the big reasons Detroit was able to claim the 6th seed.
The proof is in the numbers:
Pistons’ record without Dennis Schroder: 27-27
With Schroder: 17-11
Pistons’ offensive rating without Dennis Schroder: 114.2
With: 119.3
Pistons’ defensive rating without Dennis Schroder: 114.8
With: 112.7
The Pistons’ bench net rating improved by five points with Schroder in the lineup, and I should say that it was 11 before the final week of the season.
You don’t even need the numbers to see the impact Schroder has made, as their bench offense immediately looked more organized with him running it and the Pistons started to close out more close games in the 4th quarter.
Schroder took some of the ballhandling burden off Cade Cunningham, who was able to play off the ball more, making it more difficult to double him and saving some of his energy.
And as Schroder has shown his whole career, he’s not afraid of the big moment or of being the one who has to take the clutch-time shot. He is perfectly comfortable in any situation, which is why head coach JB Bickerstaff said he has the “ultimate trust” in Schroder late in games.
The NBA collectively shrugged when the Pistons traded for a journeyman point guard at the deadline, but it has turned out to be one of the most underrated moves of the season, one that helped the Pistons get to the playoffs and steal a playoff game in Madison Square Garden.