Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Sharif Phillips-Keaton
June 9, 2024 7:30 am ET
Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Schroder came to the team during the trade deadline as part of a deal that sent Spencer Dinwiddie to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Schroder and Thaddeus Young. Essentially, Brooklyn gave up nothing for Schroder as Dinwiddie was waived by the Raptors and Young did not play a game for the Nets before being waived himself.
Despite coming over in a mid-season trade as the Nets were looking for solid point guard play given the decline of Dinwiddie and the unavailability of Ben Simmons, Schroder proved to be the lead guard that Brooklyn needed. At the time that the Nets had traded for Schroder, the team had lost 15 of its last 20 games and was looking for a spark to hopefully get the franchise back on track to earning a bid in the play-in tournament.
Schroder was a huge reason for why the Nets were able to stay in contention for the play-in tournament until the final few days of the season as he was better than anything the team was getting from Dinwiddie and Simmons. Without further ado, here’s how Schroder graded out following his performance during the 2023-24 season:
Stats
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
- 14.6 PPG
- 3.5 RPG
- 6.0 APG
- 0.6 SPG
- 0.3 BPG
- 42.4 FG%
- 41.2 3FG%
- 79.7 FT%
Scoring
Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
From his first day with the Nets, Schroder assumed a sizable load of the offense and made things easier for players like Cam Thomas and Mikal Bridges. While Schroder did not shoot the ball particularly well from the field, he finished the season as the best three-point shooter for Brooklyn this season and that was something that the team was not getting from Dinwiddie, who shot just 32.0% from deep.
Tie game with a minute left, Mikal Bridges takes a charge, Dennis Schröder gets to the rim and gives BKN the lead: pic.twitter.com/lP87jGFYc1
— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) April 4, 2024
Ball-handling/Passing
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
In addition to his scoring, Schroder also took command of a Nets offense that needed someone to take the reins and run the offense the way it was supposed. To be fair, when Dinwiddie and Simmons were on the floor, Brooklyn’s offense ran about as expected with both players being experienced ball-handlers. However, Schroder provided the nice mix of being able to get his teammates in the right spots while also being able to create offense for them as well.
Playmaking from Dennis Schroder feels key for Brooklyn. Can start a play, finish a play, but the paint touches can open things up. Allows others to play off ball. pic.twitter.com/eJeTiyCubP
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) February 12, 2024
Leadership
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
One of the aspects of Schroder’s game that showed itself throughout his short stint with the Nets this season was the leadership that he brought to the roster. There have been plenty of moments that Schroder had with players on the roster, especially the younger players, in which he used his veteran status to help those players understand what they should have done differently without having to take a timeout to address that. He also brought a toughness to a Brooklyn team that needed more of it.
Dennis Schroder pushes Mike Conley for shooting a three with 23 seconds left in the game.
Schroder, Finney-Smith and Jaden McDaniels pick up techs. Conley has never received a tech in his 17 seasons.pic.twitter.com/N7ljWms8Hg
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) February 25, 2024
Defense
Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports
Schroder brought an intensity on the defensive end that seemed to be infectious for everyone that shared the floor with him. There are plenty of clips of Schroder guarding players up-and-down the floor as he is comfortable with using his quickness to bother opposing ball-handlers and disrupt the opposing team’s timing on the offensive end.
Intrigued by the defense from Dennis Schroder for Brooklyn. Full court pressure, DSJ and Claxton able to deny. Shows help and the end up getting a turnover. pic.twitter.com/rtxZg7G53T
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) February 12, 2024
Grade: B
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Schroder gets a B for what he did during the 2023-24 season as he was one of the more-impactful additions to the team despite coming to the team during the trade deadline. Schroder filled the need of a primary ball-handler that can also create his own offense and be valuable on the defensive end of the floor.
Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Terms apply, see operator site for Terms and Conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). Must be 21 or older to gamble. Sports betting and gambling are not legal in all locations. Be sure to comply with laws applicable where you reside.
