The Golden State Warriors have officially moved to address some of their biggest issues, with Dennis Schroder sure to bring a spark to an offense that's been one of the worst in the league over the past few weeks.
Schroder is likely to start in the back court to relieve some of the burden on Stephen Curry, while also addressing the need for a backup point guard after Brandin Podziemski couldn't deliver in the role to start the season.
The Warriors still need to figure out their center situation
The veteran guard may address Golden State's back court concern, but the franchise still has one major question mark surrounding their front court and in particularly a center spot that's been filled with uncertainty over recent games.
The Warriors may envision a closing lineup of Schroder, Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green, yet the idea of the latter starting games at center is one that's still hard to wrestle with.
Green has started the last two games at the five alongside Kuminga, having taken over from Kevon Looney who had previously displaced Trayce Jackson-Davis' hold on the center position. Golden State hold a 6.2 net rating in the 223 minutes where Green and Kuminga have shared the floor, but asking the 34-year-old to play heavy minutes at center is likely to take its physical toll.
Do the Warriors go back to the reliable Looney who's had a strong bounce-back season? Doing so would harm spacing within the starting lineup, with Schroder having a great year shooting the ball but not your quick-trigger, spot up guy like Buddy Hield is.
How about Jackson-Davis? The second-year big man could actually benefit from playing alongside Schroder who's likely to now be Golden State's best lob-passer, but that may be better utilized in the second-unit where Kerr may lean more into pick-and-roll with the German guard in charge.
The center conundrum only intensifies belief that the Warriors will make another move before the February 6 trade deadline. There's limitations to each of the options the franchise currently has, meaning that scouring the trade market may be their best option in trying to find certainty at the position.
Chicago big man Nikola Vucevic may be the most high-profile option that's been linked to the Warriors, with the Bulls reportedly seeking a first-round pick according to NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer.
Vucevic has averaged 21.0 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists this season on impressive 58/47/85 shooting splits, with the 2x All-Star making $20 million this season.
