The Pistons are sorely missing another ball handler to take pressure off Cade Cunningham in the playoffs. Last year, they had that player in Dennis Schroder but lost him in free agency. Now, Schroder is playing the same role perfectly for the Cavaliers while Detroit relies too heavily on Cade.
Dennis Schroder was the ideal backup point guard
In Game 5 between Cleveland and Toronto, Schroder saved the day with 19 big points off the bench in just 21 minutes. The Cavaliers trailed for most of the game, but Schroder helped them put away a tough Raptors team with 11 points in the fourth quarter alone. Importantly, he was able to play well alongside both Donovan Mitchell and James Harden as a secondary or even tertiary option.
Schroder is the type of experienced ball handler and scorer that can win key playoff games for a team. Last year, he had several big postseason performances for the Pistons in wins over the Knicks. Having him off the bench helped relieve some of the scoring burden from Cade and even Tobias Harris as a secondary scorer.
Not only was Schroder great at getting to his own shot, even in emergency late-clock situations, but he was also a capable playmaker. He does a good job of starting sets with his ball movement and generating assists without turning the ball over. Even though he doesn’t average a ton of assists himself, his connective passing often helps offense flow better when he’s in the game.
The Pistons are missing Schroder now
Detroit ultimately let Schroder walk in free agency after the Kings offered him a 3-year/$44 million contract. That amount was a clear overpay and the Pistons were hesitant to match it. The decision seemed like the right one in the regular season, but now has come back to bite the Pistons after their other scoring options have dried up in the playoffs.Â
Schroder’s replacement at backup point guard ended up being two-way convert Daniss Jenkins, who shocked everyone with his emergence this season. But Jenkins’ play has declined significantly in the playoffs and his inexperience has shown. Meanwhile, Schroder is in year 13 of NBA experience and always seems to level up in the postseason.Â
The Cavaliers were wise to pick up Schroder in a midseason trade. Although he was having a disastrous campaign in Sacramento, his latent playoff value still remained. And now he’s arguably helped the Cavaliers secure a narrow series lead that they wouldn’t have without him.
If the Pistons had retained him, perhaps they would also have a series lead over the Magic and a better shot at a deep playoff run.
Add us as a preferred source on Google