Cavs’ Dennis Schroder Critiques Kings’ Integrity

“But when someone says something, I’m always a fan of making sure we keep it that way. If I tell someone, ‘Hey, we’re going to do this and this,’ then I don’t suddenly go off to the right, you know? So, you should always keep your word, and unfortunately the Sacramento Kings didn’t do that. And that’s a shame.”

The Grass Wasn’t Greener On Russell Westbrook’s Side

Classily, Schröder avoids throwing his former teammate under the bus. Nonetheless, there’s no doubt that Kings head coach Doug Christie’s perception of Russell Westbrook had a direct correspondence to his eventual demotion.

For the first 12 games of the season, Schröder was the first unit’s floor general, averaging 11.3 points and 6.0 assists per contest. He definitely had a cold spell in the five latest starts of that stretch, shooting a sickly 22.7% from the field. However, he looked much like FIBA Schröder in the first seven outings, converting 45.7% of his field goal attempts while averaging 14.9 points per game.

Understandably, most fans were focused on the team’s win-loss record though. On top of that, Westbrook’s status as a former league MVP means his play is filtered through that lens. While he’s averaged 13.5 points and 6.1 assists per game over the past three seasons, numbers that bore similarity to Schröder’s first 12 games with the Kings, many considered him to be a significant upgrade at point guard. This despite the fact that Westbrook had remained unsigned until the 11th hour of the offseason free agency period.

The Last Word on the Kings Trading Dennis Schroder

Obviously, it hasn’t gotten any better for the Kings. From the time Schröder was initially demoted from the starting lineup to now, Westbrook has started in 51 games, averaging 15.4 points and 6.8 assists per game on .424-.326-.692 shooting splits. Sacramento has gone 13-38 in those contests.

Strangely, he’s largely dodged accountability. Part of this is because a number of fans believe he’s been judged unfavorably, on and off the court. Whether because they idolize or simply support him, fans often insulate him from criticism. His vintage performances are painted as what he’s still capable of doing nightly rather than occasionally. The Hall of Fame factor plays a role as well. To that point, so many fans jump with joy when he climbs an all-time leaderboard, it obscures his problematic weaknesses.

If Christie himself wasn’t one of those fans, perhaps the Kings’ would be in a better position.