The New York Knicks' bench was too quiet in the 100-94 Game 2 loss to the Pistons on Monday, with Miles McBride scoring the second unit's lone eight points. One of Detroit's bench players came close to tripling that number with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 from three.
Dennis Schroder was traded to the Pistons before the deadline via the Jazz. He's technically been on four teams this season, but he didn't play a game for Utah. The 31-year-old started 2024-25 in Brooklyn, where he played 23 games before he was traded to Golden State. Schroder played 24 games with the Warriors before he was sent to the Jazz as part of the surprise Golden State-Jimmy Butler trade. Utah flipped Schroder to Detroit.
He went from being Stephen Curry's backup with the Warriors to doing the same for Cade Cunningham. Schroder closed out the regular season averaging 10.8 points, 5.3 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game for the Pistons, shooting 37.8% from the field and 30.2% from three.
Before Monday's game against New York, Schroder had scored 20-plus points one time this season for the Pistons. He dropped 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting in Detroit's 123-115 loss to the Clippers on March 5.
Schroder had a decent outing in Game 1, finishing with eight points (3-of-8), three assists, two steals, and one block in 26 minutes. He had his best game in a Pistons uniform when they needed him most in Game 2. If it weren't for Schroder hitting shots and frustrating Jalen Brunson on defense, Detroit would've headed back to Little Caesars Arena down 0-2.
Dennis Schroder was key for Pistons in Game 2 win over Knicks
Cam Payne was the unofficial bench player of the game on Saturday, posting 14 points (5-of-7) in 15 minutes in the Knicks' win. Payne was a non-factor in Game 2, not scoring at all, but picking up three fouls in four minutes.
Schroder isn't going to have a big game every night, but typically, role players perform better in their home arena. Games 3 and 4 in Detroit won't be easy. New York has bigger concerns than Schroder, but having more scoring off the Knicks' bench will help counteract his production if he goes off again.
New York didn't make a pre-deadline trade to bolster the bench like Detroit did. The Knicks' lone move was sending Jericho Sims to the Bucks for Delon Wright. The 32-year-old guard isn't in the playoff rotation, and that won't change barring an injury. They still have other players, like McBride and Payne, who bring bursts of energy off the bench. New York will need more from them moving forward.