One of the Pistons’ biggest offseason departures was guard Dennis Schröder, who signed a deal with the Kings. Pistons fans were originally fearful of losing Schröder’s contributions at backup point guard, but they have now found a perfect replacement in Daniss Jenkins. Meanwhile, Schröder has been a disappointment in Sacramento and the Pistons are breathing a sigh of relief that they didn’t match his contract.
Dennis Schröder is not living up to his big contract
Schröder signed with the Kings for a big payday (3 years and $44 million) and a starting role. He was unlikely to find himself starting for the Pistons unless there were extensive injuries - which is happening right now. But even then, it’s hard to justify such a big contract for him when cheaper options can do as good of a job.
In fact, Schröder’s play so far this season has been a negative regardless of his contract. While the Pistons are riding a win streak to the top of the East, the Kings have fallen to 3-9 and are tied for the second-worst record in the West. Schröder personally has not done much to help the cause, and his +/- of -11.2 is one of the team’s worst marks.
He’s averaging 11 points and 6 assists while shooting 38% from the field and 30% from three. Ironically, these are pretty close to his regular season numbers in Detroit, when he averaged 11 points and 5 assists on nearly identical shooting splits.
Schröder had some good playoff moments for the Pistons that helped steal a win from the Knicks. But he’s far too unreliable over a long regular season to be a starter and have such a big contract. The Pistons probably saw some value in bringing him back, but wisely recognized that the Kings had offered him too much.
Dennis Schröder is a player destined for mediocrity in the NBA. He’s at his best when he has complete freedom to run the offense how he wants, like he can do on Team Germany or on tanking NBA teams. But his fit next to other high-caliber players is not ideal. The Kings have dug themselves into a hole by building a team full of players in this mold; you could make the same argument for virtually their entire starting lineup.
While Schröder did have a decent playoff series last postseason for the Pistons, his on-court contributions are not currently being missed. The Pistons have found ways to win and replace his impact at backup point guard. And his veteran presence off the court has been filled in with new players and the growing maturity of the Pistons’ young stars.