The Sacramento Kings think Dennis Schroder is their new starting point guard. Los Angeles Lakers fans have seen this story before, and they know how it ends. He needs to come off the bench to be impactful.
Dennis Schroder isn't a starting point guard on a real contender
Schroder is a spark plug. He knows how to play hard and bring energy, and he has the ability to give you buckets in a hurry. When he is asked to lead an offense, control the tempo, and share the floor with other high-usage stars, that is where things get a little bit troubling.
At a youth camp this summer, Kings’ star Domantas Sabonis said this during an interview: “Right now, we have a starting caliber point guard. Dennis is very talented.”
No one is doubting the talent. The issue is fit, and the Kings may be heading toward the same realization the Lakers had.
Last season with the Brooklyn Nets, Schroder put up solid numbers as a starter: 18.4 points and 6.6 assists while shooting nearly 39 percent from deep. Those numbers came on a team that lacked real scoring options.
He was free to dominate the ball, shoot often, and run the show. More importantly, Brooklyn went just 9–14 during that span. His impressive numbers just did not translate to wins.
That version of Schroder, the one who runs everything, only works on teams that are not really trying to compete. With the Detroit Pistons, when he came off the bench and played more freely without needing to orchestrate everything, his impact improved. That has been the pattern for years.
His best season was as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2019–20 season. That year he averaged 18.9 points and finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting.
That was not a coincidence. Schroder has always been best as a change-of-pace guy, someone who can come in, get his own shot, and shift the energy.
The Lakers tried to start him too. It did not stick. They ended up using D'Angelo Russell as the starter even though his feelings towards the team were questionable. When they put Schroder back on the bench, the offense flowed better.
He was more effective. The team won more. Simple as that. Now in Sacramento, Schroder joins a team with DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Sabonis, all players who need touches and prefer to work with the ball in their hands.
Asking Schroder to run point while managing those dynamics is most likely a recipe for disaster.
The Kings might figure this out by December, or maybe it will take until April.
But at some point, they will reach the same conclusion: Dennis Schroder is more valuable as a sixth man than as a starter. At this current moment he would even be a great piece of bench depth for L.A., but sadly they don't have the funds.