Dennis Schröder’s first points in his Warriors debut on Thursday night were a clear example of why general manager Mike Dunleavy wasted no time in moving out as quickly as possible and acquiring the veteran guard. The speedy guard hit Ja Morant at the spot he was focused on, pulled up and nailed a 12-foot mid-range jumper.

Schröder gets his first Warriors points 👏 pic.twitter.com/OLq2AjJwyI

– Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 20, 2024

His first two points were also the Warriors’ first two of the night after starting in an 8-0 hole. Things only got much, much worse from there as the Warriors suffered an embarrassing 144-93 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum.

The newest Warrior took four more shots in the first quarter and missed all four, leaving Golden State trailing Memphis by 22 points (37-15). He conceded four more in the second quarter. Here too, Schröder came away empty-handed every time. Only now did the Warriors’ halftime deficit grow to 31 points, 69-38.

Schröder missed his first attempt of the second half, giving him nine straight misses before he finally hit another mid-range jumper from 18 feet with just under seven minutes left in the third quarter. The two points made it a 41-point game, 90-49.

A minute later, Schröder missed again, one last time. With five minutes left in the third quarter and the Warriors trailing by 46 points, Schröder’s first game in the Golden State Thread ended early and unforgettable.

“Dennis looked like a guy on a new team,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the ugly loss. “It’s always difficult being traded in the middle of the season and playing with a whole new team, different terminology and all that stuff.”

In his first 23 games for the Brooklyn Nets this season, Schröder posted perhaps his best offensive performance in his 12th NBA season. While his 18.4 points per game was the third-best of his career, it was his efficiency, both inside and behind the 3-point line, that shone most clearly. But not in his first game as a Warrior. Like the rest of his teammates, nothing went right for Schröder.

He played a total of 22 minutes and scored five points, his second-worst performance of the season. Schröder went 2 of 12 from the field, missed all four of his 3-point attempts and split his two free throws. While his five assists were a team-high, Schroder’s four turnovers were also the most for the Warriors.

Blaming him for the Warriors’ beating would be as unforgivable as the product Kerr’s players put on the floor for 48 minutes. Schröder’s nightmarish debut was just a blip in the Warriors’ much larger problems.

“Look, they did a great job with Steph (Curry),” Kerr said. “I deny him everywhere and make every catch difficult for him. … We lost nine of eleven games. We are floundering and we clearly need to get it back.”

Somehow, Schröder was better than his new backcourt mate and future Hall of Famer. Curry played 24 minutes and scored two points. He shot seven times and failed to convert once, including all six of his 3-pointers.

Thursday marked just the seventh time in Curry’s 16-year NBA career that he didn’t take at least one shot in a game, but his 24 minutes played were the longest he didn’t take a shot, as were his seven Missed shots. This is also what happens when a 36-year-old suffering from bilateral knee pain and recent neck inflammation is covered for all 94 feet and no one else can really intimidate the opponent into changing his strategy.

The Grizzlies fended off Curry and blocked him wherever he went, no matter how far from the basket he was. They were willing to let anyone else beat them, or at least try.

Andrew Wiggins was the Warriors’ only effective scorer, giving them 19 points on 6 of 11 shooting and 4 of 5 from long range. Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins couldn’t have cared less. Jonathan Kuminga was sent back to the bench and went 2 of 12 from the field for 11 points. Brandin Podziemski scored a team-high 21 points off the bench, although it was 16 in the fourth quarter as the Warriors entered the final frame trailing the Grizzlies by 50 points.

While the Warriors started the season with a 12-3 record, their defense has now allowed 287 points in the last two games. They allowed 46 points to the Dallas Mavericks in the first quarter on Sunday night, only to watch the Grizzlies score 37 points in the first quarter a few days later, rotating late and contributing to long shots throughout the game.

The inclusion of Schröder was a necessary, necessary addition. It would be silly to judge the move after one game.

Everything outside of Schröder’s first appearance has been a worrying trend that the Warriors can’t wait forever to see if there’s a chance to salvage this season, and Curry can use the last few years to create the only franchise that he has ever known.

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