Dennis Schröder before the start of the NBA with Toronto Raptors: Almost like being on the national team

A clear view of the game: Dennis Schröder Image: AFP

Basketball world champion Dennis Schröder has been playing in the NBA for ten years. With the Toronto Raptors he could finally find the role that matches his qualities.

Ten years seems like a pretty long time to find your identity as a professional basketball player in a league the quality of the NBA. And the right frame of reference for your own game. But sometimes even the best ones take a while. Someone like Leverkusen’s Detlef Schrempf only optimized his role in the eighth year of his career and with his third team in Seattle. The first German basketball player of distinction made himself useful as an unusually productive basket shooter in the 1990s and was therefore named to the All-Star selection.

With Dirk Nowitzki, the same process only appeared to be more rapid. In fact, eight years passed before the first big appearance in the 2006 final. And five more until winning the NBA championship.