Blowout Raptors win proves they made the right call with recent controversial move

A statement victory for the Toronto Raptors against the Brooklyn Nets was made ever so sweet as their guard duo of Immanuel Quickley and Gary Trent Jr. combined for 49 of the Raptors' 121 total points. Helping their scoring punch was the shooting groove in which IQ and GTJ found themselves against Brooklyn, both knocking down five three-pointers each.

The rest of the starters had strong performances too, with All-Star Scottie Barnes notably having a stellar game of 18 points, 12 rebounds, three steals, and one block. Needless to say, the first game for Kevin Ollie as Brooklyn's new head coach was spoiled by a Toronto masterclass.

The new backcourt duo proved they can handle the guard duties just fine

But even more noteworthy from this game was the return of Dennis Schroder to the six, who was traded to Brooklyn in a strange salary dump at the deadline. Signed to Toronto in the 2023 offseason, Schroder made 51 appearances as a Raptor with 33 starts, averaging over 13 points and six assists. Dennis was a fine free-agency addition to the Raptors, with some notable games coming early in the season.

However, given the team's decision to rebuild around the Holidays and leading to Schroder losing his starting PG spot to Immanuel Quickley, the recent FIBA champion quickly became an expendable asset.

And that's exactly what happened when he and Thaddeus Young were dealt to the Nets in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, who the Raptors waived immediately after. Dennis was not playing horribly by any stretch, but it seemed Toronto was willing to part ways with his services for literally nothing.

But his more than lackluster performance with the Nets against Toronto showed his play doesn't necessarily move the needle. In over 23 minutes of run, Schroder shot a horrendous 14% from the field, finishing with a measly four points, two assists, two turnovers, and four personal fouls.

The narrative was borderline poetic for Schroder to stick it to his former Northern employers, but he largely underperformed and reassured Toronto that his services were worth losing. By no means is Schroder an overall poor NBA player, but Toronto's young guards just happened to step up in their elevated roles, all while the veteran Dennis Schroder (who reportedly requested a lead role on a contender) was a -30 plus/minus for his new team.