The Golden State Warriors have added another guard to their rotation by acquiring Dennis Schröder from the Brooklyn Nets. Shams Charania of ESPN stated on December 14th that the Warriors acquired Schröder in exchange for three second-round picks and De’Anthony Melton’s salary.
According to Charania, Schröder will be in Golden State’s starting lineup, as the team wants another ball handler alongside Stephen Curry.
“The Warriors envision starting lineups with Dennis Schroder and Stephen Curry in the backcourt, with Schroder able to alleviate ball-handling responsibilities at point guard. Golden State made him a priority to complete this deal”.
Golden State Warriors Offense
However, the Golden State Warriors decision to acquire Dennis Schröder wastes time and resources, as his skill set doesn’t fit their offensive system. Golden State is running a ball-moving offense, averaging 314.3 passes per game since the 2021-22 season, 2nd in the NBA.
The Warriors’ ball movement often caused guards to spend many possessions off the ball. For instance, Gary Payton II brought the ball off the court with 4:44 minutes remaining in the first quarter against the Boston Celtics on November 6th.
Once he reached the three-point line, Payton passed the ball to Draymond Green, who was standing at the top of the key. As Green held the ball, Payton set an off-the-screen pass for Stephen Curry in between the left corner and wing.
After Payton set the screen, Curry ran from the corner to the wing and received a pass from Green upon arriving at the wing. Curry immediately passed it to Payton, who was rolling toward the basket for a dunk.
The Warriors’ offensive system contributed to their guards taking a significant number of threes per game. Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, and Curry are taking over 45% of their shots from behind the arc this season, averaging a minimum of 3.7 per game.
Dennis Schröder’s skill set
Unfortunately, three-point shooting is the worst aspect of Dennis Schröder’s skillset. Before this season, Schröder shot 34.2% on 3.6 attempts per game. Furthermore, Golden State doesn’t frequently run Schröder’s favorite offensive set.
Dennis has spent 37.6% of his offensive possessions as a pick-and-roll ball handler, averaging 5.6 per game, since the 2021-22 season. He is averaging 4.8 points, shooting 45.3 % on 4.3 attempts per game. During this span, the pick-and-roll play type accounted for 34.5 % of Schröder’s scoring output, as he is averaging 13.9 points per game.
Unfortunately, the Warriors rank 26th in the pick-and-roll play type, averaging 15.3 possessions per game since the 2021-22 season.
Chris Paul
The Warriors’ system has led other pick-and-roll guards to experience a decline in production during their tenure with the team. In the four seasons before joining the Warriors, Chris Paul spent 52.8% of his offensive possessions as a pick-and-roll ball handler, averaging 8.1 per game.
He averaged 8.1 points per game, shooting 51.2% on 6.3 attempts. Paul’s pick-and-roll production was responsible for 51.3% of his scoring output, as he averaged 15.8 points.
Unfortunately, Paul saw a dramatic decline in production during his one season in Golden State. Paul spent 41.5% of his offensive possessions as a pick-and-roll ball handler, averaging 4 per game. He averaged 3.8 points per game, shooting 46.8% on 3.5 attempts.
The decrease in pick-and-roll opponents led Paul to post the worst statistics of his career: averaging 9.2 points and 6.8 assists and shooting 44.1% on 8.1 attempts.
in conclusion, Golden State’s offense and Schröder’s skill set indicate the trade wastes time and resources.
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