Since Klay Thompson left, the Warriors have been on a quest to find the perfect partner for Stephen Curry in the backcourt.
Searching for Curry’s Partner:
Throughout this season, players like De’Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield, Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, and Lindy Waters III have tried to fill this role. Melton seemed like a good fit because he could help with defense where Curry struggles. Unfortunately, Melton’s season ended early due to an ACL injury. On Saturday, the Warriors made a move to bring in Dennis Schroder. Many believe he’s a big improvement over Melton and other guards who played alongside Curry this year.
Dennis Schroder Joins the Team:
Schroder is having one of his best seasons yet. He’s scoring 18.4 points per gameโthe most since 2019-20โand achieving career-highs in assists (6.6) and three-pointers made (2.5). While he’s not great at playing off-ballโa skill important for thriving with the Warriorsโhe’s still a decent shooter and an excellent defender on the perimeter. This means he can take on some defensive duties from Curry against other teams’ main ball-handlers.
When Curry rests during games, Schroder will help keep the offense strong. The Warriors’ performance drops significantly when Curry isnโt playingโfrom an offensive rating of 119.1 down to 101.7! On another note, when Schroder plays with the Nets, their offensive rating is better than without him: 113.3 compared to 108.8.
Fans think adding Schroder was a smart choice by the Warriors!
After losing 143-133 to the Mavericks on Sunday, Coach Steve Kerr hinted that Schroder would start next to Curry soon.
Coach Kerrโs Thoughts:
"Heโs a gamer," said Kerr about Schroder in this interview. "He competes hard and plays both ends of the floor well." Kerr believes that getting better sometimes requires making tough decisions; bringing in Schroder was one such decision that made sense for them right now.
Kerr also mentioned how much trouble Schroder caused Team USA during last year’s FIBA World Cup and this year’s Olympics as part of Germanyโs team . He expects him to bring valuable experience from those big games into both international competitions as well as NBA playoffs.
Schroder will likely make his debut with Golden State on Thursday when they play away against Memphis!
