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Dennis Schroder has struggled to find an NBA home during the latter half of his career. The first half of this season was more of the same. The Brooklyn Nets traded the veteran point guard to the Golden State Warriors, who dealt him to the Detroit Pistons a month later in a multi-team deal that landed them Jimmy Butler.
However, Schroder is proving his value during the Pistons' first-round series against the New York Knicks. The 31-year-old has emerged as the team's most reliable offensive player behind Cade Cunningham. His former Nets teammate, Cam Johnson, isn't surprised by his playoff impact.
“I just don’t think Golden State was a great fit. Trying to adjust and adapt around the way they play, I don’t think it was the way he wanted to play,” Johnson said on the Young Man and the Three. “He had a great start to the season with us, he was the engine, emotional point guard, you walk on the court with that guy, you know you got somebody who got your back no matter what.
“He gonna bark at a fan, he gonna bark at a player, if something pops off he’s front and center, as a teammate, that’s exactly what you want, someone that’s gonna have your back, gonna get down and dirty with you… But in the playoffs right now, Detroit has made their identity this year on barking, on playing hard, physical, not afraid to fight, figuratively and literally, and he just fits really well with what they are doing, and he was a great piece for them.”
Schroder had the best start of his career this season with the rebuilding Nets. He averaged 18.4 points and 5.3 assists on 45/39/89 shooting splits while leading the team to a surprise 10-14 start. With concerns about their declining draft lottery odds growing, Brooklyn sent him to Golden State for second-round picks.
Dennis Schroder stepping up for Pistons in playoffs after pair of trades
Dennis Schorder's production plummeted in the Warriors' offense. Hall-of-Fame point guard Steve Nash agreed with Johnson's assessment that Golden State was a poor fit for the point guard's skillset.
“He’s more of a ball screen guard like me in the pick and roll. I mean, get in the gaps and make plays. How many ball screen opportunities do you need to get on Golden State? They’re not a heavy ball screen team,” Nash said. “When they do run them with a lot of Steph, they’re more of a pinch post, cut off the ball, splits, all that stuff… So that’s an adjustment for a guy that’s used to being the head of the snake, so to speak, when they’re on the floor.
“Now, of course, he’s going to do that some in Detroit, but he’s also gonna have to play off Cade [Cunningham] at times… I think that’s less of an adjustment than just the way the Warriors play, which is amazing and beautiful and unique to our league in many respects, but an adjustment for a lot of people.”
Schroder's playoff experience (71 games, 15 starts) has shown with a young Pistons squad. He posted 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting and hit a go-ahead three in the final minute of a Game 2 win at Madison Square Garden.
DENNIS SCHRODER CLUTCH.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 22, 2025
He then scored 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from three during Thursday's 118-116 Game 3 loss in Detroit.
While the Pistons are heavy underdogs to beat the Knicks, Dennis Schroder's performance could earn him another contract with the team. The floor general is in on an expiring contract. Detroit holds Schroder's bird rights, allowing them to re-sign him above the cap this summer.
