Golden State Warriors guard Dennis Schroder. Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Dennis Schroder is the perfect backup partner for Stephen Curry

By Sai Mohan | Last updated Dec 16, 2024 7:22 AM ET

Since Klay Thompson's departure, the Warriors have sought Stephen Curry's ideal backcourt partner. At various points this season, the likes of De'Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield, Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody and Lindy Waters III auditioned for the role. The only one who seemed to fit the criteria — of an off-guard who can cover Curry's defensive lapses — was Melton until he suffered a season-ending ACL injury.

On Saturday, the Warriors acquired Dennis Schroder, who, by all accounts, is an instant upgrade over Melton and other guards Curry has shared the backcourt with this season.

Schroder is enjoying a career resurgence this season, averaging his most points (18.4) since 2019-20 and career-highs in assists (6.6) and 3PM (2.5). While Schroder doesn't have the best off-ball skills — almost a requisite to thrive in the Warriors system — he is a good enough shooter to contribute right away and, most importantly, an excellent perimeter defender who will relieve Curry of the burden of guarding the opponent's ball-handlers.

The German guard will also ensure the Warriors offense doesn't suffer when Curry goes to the bench. Thus far this season, the Warriors' offensive rating drops from 119.1 to 101.7 when Curry takes a breather. On the flip side, the Nets have maintained an offensive rating of 113.3 with Schroder on the floor and 108.8 without him, another metric that highlights the two-way guard's value.

After the Warriors' 143-133 loss to the Mavericks on Sunday, Steve Kerr all but confirmed that Schroder will start next to Curry.

"He’s a gamer, he’s a competitor, pick-and-roll player, two-way player," Kerr said of Schroder. "You got to do what you got to do to get better, so it was a move that we felt like made perfect sense. He will fill what Melton was doing for us in terms of being able to play off the ball, excellent defender, long wingspan. He’s a steals guy, forces turnovers, pace."

Kerr also alluded to Schroder giving Team USA trouble in last year's FIBA World Cup and this year's Paris Olympics as part of the German national team. As such, Kerr expects Schroder to bring a wealth of experience playing in big games on both the world stage and the NBA playoffs.

Schroder is expected to make his Warriors debut during Thursday's away game in Memphis.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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