Dennis Schroder left the Detroit Pistons in free agency for a bigger role in Sacramento, and he’ll likely be their starting point guard on opening night, which probably doesn’t bode well for them.
Schroder was a nice pick up for the Pistons last trade deadline and he certainly helped their push for the playoffs. He came up big in big games and was a trusted hand in the clutch, all things that will garner him a warm welcome from Pistons fans when the Kings come to town.
The Kings are happy about their acquisition, with star center Domantas Sabonis recently calling Schroder a “starting caliber point guard” and raving about how talented he is.
While I agree that Schroder is talented and that the Kings were lucky to get him, Schroder may no longer be a starter at this stage in his career.
Less is more with Dennis Schroder
Schroder showed last season with the Nets that he can still lead an offense and be a volume scorer. Schroder put up nice numbers in 23 games as the starting point guard and primary creator for Brooklyn, something he can still do when he is allowed to control the offense, dribble the life out of the ball and shoot as much as he wants.
In other words, Schroder can put up numbers as the #1 option on a bad team, which is what he did last season in Brooklyn.
But if he is on a good team with playoff aspirations, he is more suited to be a 6th man, a role he has thrived in throughout his career, finishing in the top 10 of the 6th Man of the Year award three times.
Schroder is great as a change of pace guy who can come in and dominate the ball and score in bunches off the bench, something he’s always been good at. But he’ll be playing with several guys who also like to have the ball in their hands next season in DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, so Schroder’s ball dominant style may not be as effective starting with this group.
The Kings are a mess, so Schroder will likely be the least of their worries, but there are questions about whether he’s really a starting caliber point guard at age 31 and if his style of play is better suited to the bench rather than running an offense with volume scorers.
Sacramento may end up with one of the worst defenses in the league with a backcourt of Schroder and LaVine in the starting five, which is another reason the Pistons recognized that Schroder is a better bench player than starter.