Dennis Schroder is now six games into his first season as the Sacramento Kings' starting point guard, and it's gone okay-ish. He's played reasonably well, but the team has a record of two and four. Part of that is due to Schroder needing to make a big change, specifically being more consistent.
After trading De'Aaron Fox away in early 2025, the Kings were left without a dedicated point guard. They got through the rest of the season by letting existing players like Malik Monk fill in at the position. No disrespect to the roster, but it didn't work out well. In fact, it was a train wreck.
Over the offseason, the Kings brought in Schroder as their new point guard. The man has skills, which shone through when he led Germany to gold in the EuroBasket tournament and was named the MVP. Unfortunately, Schroder's FIBA greatness hasn't always translated into NBA success.
In the NBA, Schroder has struggled with consistency more than anything else. He can score, he's a solid playmaker, and he's actually rather brilliant on defense. But his performance can vary wildly from game to game, something the Kings have experienced firsthand over their first six outings.
Dennis Schroder has to maintain
When looking at Schroder's scoring, it ranges so drastically that reading his stats can give you whiplash. He went from 17 and 18 points respectively against the Jazz and Lakers to eight and five against the Thunder and Bulls. Then, he scored 24 against the Bucks.
The rest of his stats are like this. Schroder got 12 assists against the Lakers, but only got three in each of the games around it. Not surprisingly, his defense is the most consistent part of his game. He gets one or two steals in every faceoff, which is incredibly important for the Kings.
If Sacramento wants to get anything going this season, they need their starting point guard to deliver a reliable performance each and every time. They can't go into a contest wondering which version of Schroder they are going to get. He should be the same Schroder every time.
The Kings need their starting point guard to set the tone of their games with both intensity and consistency. Until Dennis Schroder can offer Sacramento the level of consistency they need from him, they are going to have a lot of trouble getting out of the Western Conference's basement.