3 Buyout Players Not Named Goran Dragic to Replace Suns’ Chris Paul

Non-Goran Dragic Replacements for Suns’ Chris Paul: Dennis Schröder

The Suns got a front row view at the buyout market’s big ticket item in the same game Paul went down, facing off against Dennis Schröder last week.

Having played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, and now the Houston Rockets all in one calendar year, Schröder represents an easily pluggable piece that if acquired would make Phoenix that much more lethal.

With the Suns typically running a pick-and-roll based offense featuring Paul at the helm, sliding Schröder into the fold would come as an easy task. Although he earned very few pick-and-roll opportunities with Boston this season, he ran that offensive style quite frequently with the Lakers a year ago, where he averaged just 1.7 fewer points per possession than Paul.

Granted, the other important facets of Paul’s game such as his passing and mid-range shooting are all far better than that of Schröder’s, but we need to remember that we’re comparing an all-time legend with a fringe starter.

Regardless, Schröder promises to provide a nice scoring punch off the bench, push the tempo, and keep that pick-and-roll offense flowing. That’s not too bad for a mid-season signee playing in a third string point guard slot.