OKC Thunder’s Dennis Schroder Has Lived Up To His Contract In The 2019-20 NBA Season 

Prior to the 2016-17 season, Dennis Schroder signed a four-year, $70 million contract extension with the Atlanta Hawks that would kick in at the start of the 2017-18 season. Just 23 years old at the time of signing the extension, the German was coming off an impressive season averaging 11.0 points, 4.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game as Jeff Teague’s backup. 

Though he started just six games for Atlanta the season before getting paid, he was poised to be the point guard of the future and would go on to start 78 games in the 2017-18 season. In that season he produced 17.9 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game. 

After two seasons as the starting point guard for the Hawks, he would be traded in a three-team deal to the Oklahoma City Thunder that would send Carmelo Anthony and a 2022 lottery protected first-round pick to Atlanta. Anthony would go on to be waived by the Hawks shortly after. 

Schroder kicked off his stint in Oklahoma City last season backing up Russell Westbrook in a similar role he had during his earlier years in Atlanta. Although he played well, averaging 15.5 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.6 rebounds, there were questions as to whether he was living up to his $15.5 million per season salary in a bench role. 

Now, through 63 games with the Thunder in the current season, those questions have been answered. Increasing his points per contest to 19.0 and shooting much better from the field, free throw line, and beyond the arc, Schroder is in the running for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award this season. 

He leads all NBA bench scorers with 1178 total points and is third in assists with 250. Schroder’s elite scoring ability this season has made him one of the league’s biggest offensive sparks and has dramatically increased his trade value this summer as he enters the final year of his contract in the 2020-21 season. 

Schroder has already won a Western Conference Player of the Week award this season and was also a nominee for Western Conference Player of the Month in December. The Oklahoma City bench scores the ninth most bench points per game in the league with 39.9, and Schroder accounts for nearly half of those. His bench production has extremely valuable and a direct catalyst for the Thunder’s success. 

When it matters most, Schroder leads NBA in clutch plus/minus at +115 and has been one of the most clutch players in the league all season. This summer, as the Thunder look to make moves towards acquiring young talent, Schroder will be an highly attractive trade piece for a contender who either needs a starting guard or spark plug scorer off the bench. This would also get Oklahoma City assets in return before he becomes a free agent in the summer of 2021. When that time comes, he will still be only 27 years old and could be looking at another big payday.

While Dennis Schroder came into the 2019-20 season labeled as overpaid, he has completely flipped the script and has become arguably the best bench player in the entire NBA for the Oklahoma City Thunder.