In the NBA without a club, the first place in the national team. Dennis Schröder rose to captain the German basketball team. If it works with EM coins, he becomes an important figure.
BERLIN – Nobody had a bad word to say about Dennis Schröder during the inspiring days of basketball in Cologne and Berlin.
National coach Gordon Herbert called Schröder’s appointment as captain ahead of the European Championships “one of the easiest decisions” he has ever made. For Maodo Lo, German basketball is “lucky to have Dennis Schröder”. And young Justus Hollatz called the veteran with great NBA experience “excellent as a leader” and “a great person”.
Schröder thrives – and fights with his trash
Ahead of Saturday’s European Championship Round of 16 match (6 p.m. / Magentasport) in Berlin against Montenegro, Schröder has become the captain of the national team – on and off the field. The 28-year-old has really blossomed in recent weeks in the role of captain for veteran Robin Benzing. As a point guard, Schröder is primarily responsible, he fully accepts this role. He critically evaluates his own performance, after a difficult situation, no longer hiding.
The best example is the preliminary round defeat in Cologne against Slovenia with NBA star Luka Doncic. Schröder flew off the floor early after a technical foul and unsportsmanlike conduct. But instead of disappearing into the dressing room without a word, Schröder was called to a press conference to explain his views. “We still need defeat sometimes,” said Schröder, who always praised his colleagues during the EM days in Cologne and asked about the shot rate and shot selection in particular.
Schröder is very popular with the coach and the team. “Dennis and I have known each other since the U18s in Braunschweig, a little over twelve years. There is a blind understanding on the pitch,” said Daniel Theis on Friday in Berlin. Coach Herbert wants to continue to see his top player score points: “I told him to keep throwing. If you’re in trouble, you have to stay aggressive. He’s already made some important throws for us,” the 63-year-old said. Old.
Schröder is looking for a new NBA club
The kind of tour that is currently underway at Schröder to be able to play in the best basketball league in the world again after the European tournament in October. In the NBA, he recently played for the Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets, but his contract has expired. Now it tends to result in jobs on low financial terms. Recently, Schröder’s former Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki’s heart club, were traded as interested parties.
Schröder did not want to comment on the club’s search, which is unusual for a late point in time, at the European Championship. “My advisor is already doing his job, he is on the phone with the whole team. I will let him do his job and I will do mine here”, Schröder said right before the start. Since then, the native of Braunschweig, who sees his long-term future after his career in Germany, has drawn attention to himself in sports.
Schröder has long been controversial in Germany
Schröder averaged 18 points and seven assists and was one of the most promising players in the preliminary rounds of the European Championship. “He is one of the best point guards in the world. He leads us and leads us to victory. I am happy with him,” said Lo about Schröder, who after the preliminary round in the European Cup in 2015 and the preliminary round – Debacle in the 2019 World Cup in China still had to be used as a scapegoat. With his sometimes unusual appearance, he was not without controversy.
It looks different this time after four wins in Cologne. The excited audience in the Lanxess Stadium also celebrated the leader wildly and loudly. In the last game of the group, Schröder was rested by head coach Herbert to take no risk in preparation after an ankle injury. Against Montenegro on Saturday, he should use his speed and explosiveness to tear gaps in the opposition’s defense and lead the German team to the quarter-finals.
With this European tournament in mind, it’s surprising that Schröder has yet to find a boss in the NBA, but his game has had obvious weaknesses for years. The 28-year-old throws too many three-pointers in bad opportunities and often loses possession. Both are still evident in Cologne, although there have been improvements since the beginning of the mix with France. Within the team, Schröder showed a completely different quality. “He’s still joking that I’m relaxing. He’s got a good sense of humor there,” Hollatz said.