And that might be just what they need.
When the Golden State Warriors acquired Dennis Schröder in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets over the weekend, they did more than just add a trusty veteran point guard to replace the injured De’Anthony Melton. They also took a step towards becoming the scrappiest and grittiest team in the NBA.
Draymond Green has long been known for his intensity, fearlessness, and grit, which sometimes is the catalyst for championship-level success, and other times crosses a few lines. Schröder, while not really having the reputation for either the championships or the line-crossing, has also been long known as a scrappy player who is never afraid to mix it up. If you think he’s backing down from anyone, anything, or any situation, you’re sorely mistaken.
There’s always a chance that pairing two such players together will be an oil-and-vinegar situation, but usually these types of players attract each other. There’s a famous story of Kobe Bryant recruiting Matt Barnes to the Lakers — after the two partook in their fair share of tussles — by saying, “Anyone crazy enough to mess with me is crazy enough to play with me.” That generally seems to be the sentiment among the league’s peskiest players.
In the aftermath of the signing, Green had nothing but praise for his new teammate. That, combined with Mike Dunleavy Jr. saying that he got a thumbs up from Green and Steph Curry to go through with the trade, suggests that the pairing should work well.
And with that, the Warriors, generally known for their gorgeous motion offense and three-point shooting, are re-branding as a scrappy and gritty team. I’m not sure there’s a player in the NBA who wants to be near Green or Schröder when a loose ball is to be fought for, and if you’re compiling the league’s All-Won’t-Back-Down-When-Shoved team, or an All-Likely-To-Insult-You-To-Your-Face-With-The-Game-On-The-Line team, Green and Schröder are probably first-teamers.
That’s to make no mention of second-year guard Brandin Podziemski, who has developed that reputation as well. Podz led the NBA in charges taken as a rookie, and spent the preseason getting his nose broken and jumping right back into action, despite the games being meaningless. He might not have earned the reputation or minutes as his veteran teammates, but he’s certainly moving in that direction.
It’s a fun juxtaposition. Perhaps no player in the league epitomizes modern basketball and all its grace and fluidity like Curry, yet Green, Shröder, and Podziemski are throwbacks to the ‘90s: three players who would have been more than happy to suit up for the Bad Boy Pistons and lean a shoulder into Michael Jordan.
Curry can still carry the team, but with Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant gone, a little re-branding was in order. The Dubs have been one of the better defensive teams in the NBA all year, and now they have the gritty, scrappy, never-back-down attitude to match it.
