"The game tempo changes when he comes in" - Ime Udoka heaps praise on Dennis Schroder's contribution to the Boston Celtics 

Dennis Schroder joined the Boston Celtics this offseason. Even though he has only started three games on nine total appearances, Celtics head coach Ime Udoka likes what he sees. He signed with the Celtics for a one-year prove-it deal worth $5.9 million.

Schroder found his way to free agency in the off-season after denying a four-year $84 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers. Udoka is in his first season as the head coach of the Celtics and has started slow, going 4-5 in his first nine games.

When reporters asked Udoka about Schroder, he said:

“The game tempo changes when he comes in. We love that out of him, but also just the balance of scoring and being a playmaker for others.”

For his career, Schroder has averaged 14.2 points per game with 4.7 assists in an average of 26.2 minutes. Even though he has scored 0.9 fewer points this season than his average, Schroder is adding six assists in 30.9 minutes per game.

Why isn’t Dennis Schroder starting?

Boston Celticsnew guard Dennis Schroder #71 driving to the paint

When a head coach of a team publicly praises a player, you would think the player would start over 33% of the games. However, even though Schroder does not start, he still gets his fair share of minutes, averaging the fourth most on the team.

Schroder has been excellent off the bench, providing many different things with his on-ball defense and energy and as a creator, just like Udoka said in his quote.

Two possible factors play into Schroder not starting are:

One is that Udoka seems to like to start the game off with a big lineup. Robert Williams and Al Horford, who can both play center position, have started every game they have appeared in.

The other possible factor is Schroder is not the best outside shooter, shooting 36% from three on 4.4 attempts. Even though this could be a factor, it shouldn’t be one, considering Marcus Smart, who is starting at point guard, is shooting 28% from three on 6.3 attempts. This isn’t saying to bench Smart for Schroder, but if that is the reason why he isn’t starting, it is an invalid one.

After this quote, and with All-Star wing Jaylen Brown suffering a hamstring injury, it is possible that Dennis Schroder could be inserted into the starting lineup soon. This might help fix some of the glaring issues going on with the Celtics in the early parts of the season.

One of the most significant issues the team has been facing has been ball movement. It had gotten so bad that Smart publicly called out Jayson Tatum and Brown for not passing the ball around. Dennis Schroder leads the team in assists with 54 total assists and, as a starter, could be the facilitator Smart wants.

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Also Read: Who is Dennis Schröder’s wife, Ellen Ziolo?