Dennis Schroder has been the Brooklyn Nets’ most important player during their surprise start to 2024-25. Friday’s 123-100 loss to the Orlando Magic demonstrated how removing him could set the rebuilding squad back in its expected tanking direction.
Schroder missed the matchup for personal reasons, marking his second absence of the season. Without his blend of shot creation and facilitation, the Nets’ offense came crashing back to earth following a three-game win streak. Brooklyn turned the ball over 20 times, leading to 34 Magic points, while attempting only 29 threes, 12 below their average entering the matchup.
“Orlando’s physicality, their size, everything bothered us,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said of his team’s offensive struggles. “The differential in the points off turnovers was 15 points. Then you add up the [difference] at the three-point line where we didn’t shoot enough. All of those things matter.”
Schroder’s halfcourt orchestration has been central to the Nets’ eighth-ranked offense this season.
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The veteran floor general is off to the best start of his career, averaging 18.6 points, 6.3 assists, and 2.4 turnovers per game on 45/42/88 shooting splits. Brooklyn scores 10 fewer points per 100 possessions when he’s off the floor– the team’s highest on/off swing and the fifth-highest among all NBA guards to play over 250 minutes, per CleaningTheGlass.
“He’s the head of the snake. He’s been that guy the entire year,” Jalen Wilson said of Schroder’s importance. “Whether he’s getting downhill and finding us or getting downhill and creating his own shot, all the different things he does. He’s very important to how we play and to our team. Even if he’s not here, we still have to step up and have his back, but Dennis is someone that we always lean on.”
Without Schroder and leading scorer Cam Thomas, who will miss at least three weeks due to a hamstring strain, Brooklyn’s lack of on-ball creation against Orlando was glaring.
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Shake Milton led the team with 22 points but tallied only four assists. After an encouraging performance during Wednesday’s win over the Phoenix Suns, Ben Simmons reverted to his usual scoring apathy, attempting two shots in 26 minutes.
Some have speculated that Brooklyn’s surprise start could convince management to bail on a tank and make a push for the playoffs. However, general manager Sean Marks understood the goal when he paid a mark-up to reacquire his first-round pick from the Houston Rockets this summer. The move offered his team a chance to land a franchise-altering talent at the top of the 2025 draft.
Because of this, the expectation within league circles remains that Marks will field offers for several impact veterans before the trade deadline. At 31 years old and in the final year of his contract, Schroder does not project to be a part of Brooklyn’s long-term plans. With 68 playoff appearances under his belt, several contenders should be interested in his services, especially given his hot start and matchable salary ($13 million).
If Marks aims to boost his team’s lottery odds, Friday’s performance was the latest indication of why the point guard should be the first player he takes calls on.
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