It hasn't been an easy adjustment period for Dennis Schröder since being traded to the Warriors.
Off the court, he's living alone in a San Francisco hotel room while his family remains in Brooklyn until the new year. On the court, he's dealing with the challenge of fitting in with two future Hall of Famers in Steph Curry and Draymond Green.
The situation is similar to the one he experienced with LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers.
“When you have two Hall of Famers, you don’t want to take anything away from them,” Schröder told Andscape's Marc Spears in an exclusive interview following Golden State's 115-113 loss to Los Angeles on Christmas night. “You just got to fit in. They want me to fit in, of course, but I got to play my style as well. To combine that, we just have to keep working on it. But we still have to get wins …
“I had it in L.A., same thing. You play, but you know LeBron James is on that court. Same here. Steph Curry is one of the best players who ever played. Draymond. It’s a different presence. But I still got to play my game. If I feel comfortable, you know what I can do [on the] defensive side and offensive side. But I need to feel comfortable. And when I feel comfortable, it’s going to shift.”
After a hot start to the 2024-25 NBA season with the Nets, Schröder's shot hasn't fallen to the same degree with the Warriors. In four games, he's averaging 8.5 points on 28.2-percent shooting from the field and 23.5 percent from long range, with 1.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 27 minutes.
In his first four games of his most recent Lakers stint during the 2022-23 season, Schröder averaged 6.0 points on 32-percent shooting from the field and 14.3 percent from 3-point range, with 1.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 21.7 minutes. He went on to finish that season averaging 12.6 points on 41.5-percent shooting from the field and 32.9 percent from deep, with 2.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
Golden State Warriors
Warriors coach Steve Kerr has no doubt the shots will start falling, adding he thought Schröder was "good" against the Lakers on Wednesday night. Curry and Green also have the utmost confidence in their new teammate.
"He has to know that we have confidence and belief in him," Green told Andscape. "It’s a tough thing. Especially, when you’re coming to a team like this. Steph Curry, naturally, you’re going to fall back. But what we want Dennis to do is pull forward."
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Curry saw Schröder's production in Brooklyn, and although it was cut short, hopes Schröder can have the same type of impact in Golden State.
“We want him to be as aggressive as he was in Brooklyn," Curry told Andscape. "That’s what is going to help us even more. And I know he knows that. So, I’m excited to see it keep getting better.”
Schröder's on- and off-the-court adjustments both have made it difficult for him to thrive on the hardwood. They might be co-dependent, and only time will tell. But it's a small sample size, and there's no need to hit the panic button just yet.
