The Golden State Warriors fell 123-117 loss to the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on Wednesday, with Steve Kerr making an intriguing decision by removing recent acquisition Dennis Schröder from the starting lineup.
Schröder, who was acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in December in exchange for De’Anthony Melton, Reece Beekman and a trio of second-round draft picks, has not had the start to his time with the Warriors that many had hoped for.
The Warriors are back to square one in regard to their starting back court
Through 18 games with his new team, Schröder is averaging 10.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists. The veteran guard’s slow adjustment to the Warriors system has been a disappointment for a team lingering around .500. Prior to the trade, Schröder was playing some of the best basketball of his career, averaging 18.4 points and 6.6 assists through 23 games with the Nets.
In bringing Schröder in, the Warriors knew some adjustments would need to be made regarding the focal points of their offense. However, Schröder has consistently failed to mesh with star point guard Stephen Curry, and their inability to hone in their off-ball movement and playmaking has resulted in a rough stretch for the Golden State offense.
While head coach Steve Kerr will typically stagger the two ball-handlers’ minutes throughout the game, against the Kings he made the surprising decision to have Schröder play off the bench in a new look for this iteration of the Warriors team.
However, this move leaves the Warriors back where they were after Melton’s season-ending injury — with an obvious gap in the starting back court. With a slew of injuries throughout the roster, Kerr has needed to turn to some innovative solutions in order to urge the Warriors toward a solid stretch of games.
On Wednesday night against the Kings, this involved enhanced minutes for rookie Quentin Post and second-year forward Gui Santos. In regards to Schröder’s move to bench, however, sharpshooter Buddy Hield represented the latest stopgap in an ever-fluctuation Warriors rotation.
Hield, who is averaging 12.2 points and 2.7 threes on 37.4% shooting, has had an up-and-down season. After starting off hot from beyond the arc, Hield’s numbers tanked in what’s become a major factor in the Warriors’ offensive slump in December and January.
While Schröder provides a definite stability and playmaking abilty to the bench — a unit which has struggled heavily over the past couple of months — the hole he leaves in the starting lineup presents a major issue.
Hield, when he’s at his best, is an elite catch-and-shoot player, but he lacks the ball-handling and playmaking of a player like Schröder. Hield performed well in the starting lineup on Wednesday, scoring 17 points on 50% shooting, but likely will not help solve the Warriors’ issues in the medium to long-term given his streakiness on offense.
A possible solution, upon his return from injury, is second-year guard Brandin Podziemski. However, Podziemski has also struggled significantly this season, averaging only eight points and 3.2 assists through 30 games.
If Schröder’s relocation to the bench is a more permanent move for the team, it might be a move that brings more consistency to the offense as a whole. However, without a secondary ball-handler, the already struggling starting lineup might be in trouble.
The Warriors will have a series of interesting decisions to make regarding their starting five in the coming weeks, particularly with the February 6 trade deadline looming.
