Dennis Schröder: From Player to Leader – The Rise of Germany’s National Team Star

Dennis Schröder is the most important player in the German national team. He’s been there for a long time, but now the point guard has matured and is leading the team. From the path of the 29-year-old to the absolute leader.

“Ice in his veins”: Dennis Schröder used this gesture to celebrate important basket successes. IMAGO/camera4+

Is Dennis Schröder currently in the best form of his career? At least when it comes to the national team, you can say that with justification. The NBA professional already led the team to bronze at the European Championships last year and has now played an extremely strong preliminary round at the World Cup. The highlight was indisputably his 30-point game against Australia, when he almost single-handedly led the team to victory in the absence of Franz Wagner.

Schröder, one of the fastest players in the tournament and unstoppable on the way to the basket, is undoubtedly the leader of the national team. “The guy is a beast. Dennis Schröder has been the leader in our team for years. As a leader, he doesn’t give you the chance not to follow along because he just works so hard and leads the way. He improves every year, and that is very impressive to see as a teammate. He makes the game easier for us and I am very grateful that I can play with such a player,” enthuses teammate Franz Wagner, for example.

But it wasn’t always the case that Schroeder led the team the way he does now. He often lacked the balance he has now. The father of three has gone from being a very strong but sometimes headless manager to a leader. The 29-year-old leads the way – and his teammates follow him. And also because Schröder trusts his colleagues and gives them the ball in important phases. “He’s grown up even more. I played with him in the national team when he was a rookie. Every player has to learn a lot and gain experience. He’s matured, he leads the team incredibly,” praised Robin Benzing, who Schröder was the captain of the German national team.

Schröder apologizes to Kleber

In Germany, Schröder vacillates between darling and bogeyman, and the man from Braunschweig polarizes with his manner. Before the World Cup, there were again no positive headlines about Schröder, who publicly criticized teammate Maximilian Kleber. The Mavericks professional then canceled the World Cup. But there was a discussion, and Schröder publicly apologized to his colleague. The matter was off the table for the time being, neither coach Gordon Herbert nor his teammates took it amiss. Everyone knows how important Schröder is for a successful World Cup.

The German captain now enjoys a different status in terms of reputation and is celebrated by the fans. At the preparatory game in Bonn or the Supercup in Hamburg, Schröder’s autographs were in great demand. The 29-year-old took his time. He, who often comes across as unapproachable, naturally scored with the fans.

Schröder’s promise to his father

Schroeder has matured. He is 29 years old, now has three children and has experienced a lot. Born in Braunschweig, the point guard also took his first steps in basketball in his hometown. He even put his beloved skateboard in the corner to play basketball on the region’s courts. The lions then discovered the young basketball player, but Schröder lacked discipline at the beginning. That changed abruptly in 2009 when his father Axel died of a heart attack. Dennis was just 16 years old and had promised his father that one day he would play in the NBA.

From then on, Schröder worked hard for this goal and was finally selected in the 2013 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks in 17th place. At the beginning the point guard had problems in the best basketball league, but he quickly found his way around. With the Hawks, he even made it to the starter. Due to his full commitment including hustle plays, he also got the nickname Dennis “The Menace” (the threat / plague). After Atlanta, Schröder also played for Oklahoma, the LA Lakers, Boston and Houston in the NBA. The Toronto Raptors traded him in the summer, where he is scheduled to be a starter. In 688 NBA games, the German has an average of 14 points and 4.7 assists.

“…then we are very hard to beat”

These are numbers that are of course absolutely fine. But in Germany, stars are often viewed critically, which Schröder also felt in his career. But he seems to have arrived now and is on his way to winning the next medal with the DBB team. After bronze last year, anything seems possible after this group stage and with a captain in this form. “We have to be together as a team, no matter how things are going. If we do it as a team, then we’re very difficult to beat,” says Schröder himself and lives out exactly this attitude in every game.

2023-09-01 08:04:32
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