It currently happens more often in the US basketball league NBA that two Germans meet, but this time the show was reserved for Dennis Schröder. Because Isaac Bonga of the Toronto Raptors is currently parked in the Canadians’ substitute team, the duel between the national players was canceled – but the game between Boston and Toronto offered interesting insights from a German perspective.
For example, the fact that Schröder, 28, is slowly becoming a sought-after man with the Celtics. After that, it only looked to a limited extent at the beginning of the season. Schröder and Boston, this liaison obviously takes a little to develop. After an inconsistent year with the Lakers, he’d come out of embarrassment. After the failed contract deal in Los Angeles, the Braunschweig native is now playing on the east coast for a fraction of the money that he could have earned in LA.
Schröder came to the Boston Celtics rather out of embarrassment
He and his agent had gambled too high and the Lakers let him go. Now his annual salary is comparatively modest at just over five million dollars. But the money thing is only one thing at this point in his career. The other side is sporting success – and Schröder has some catching up to do. In his ninth year in the NBA, the builder is working on a perspective for himself. He finally wants to play a key role in a functioning team again.
For him, supporting means: as a leader, as a conductor, as in the 104: 88 against Toronto. It was his second game in a row with 20 points. At the moment, Schröder is also helped by internal team circumstances, he is usually in the starting line-up because Jaylen Brown is missing the best professional in the Celtics. “He closes the gap with us,” says his coach Ime Udoka, “because he does a lot of little things for us.” Schröder is “one more man who takes things in hand”.
So far, the German has an average of 14 points, plus four rebounds and six templates per game. Compared to his statistically best years in Atlanta and Oklahoma, these are mediocre values, but Schröder is now playing a different part than at the beginning of his career. He has become a special agent, a part-time turbo. He can ignite it either from the bank or – as in these days in Boston – from the start.
“He goes into the game explosively and pushes the pace, that’s good for us when we have a hard time getting in,” observed Udoka. That wasn’t the case against the Raptors, the offensive engine buzzed right from the start with the Celtics, Schröder sank two threes in the first quarter and orchestrated the offensive. His actions seemed lively, his choice of throws was well tempered, only his eight ball losses had a negative impact. He rarely gets bogged down in the organization so often, which is why the Celtics sometimes had erratic sequences.
A few weeks ago there was trouble at the Boston Celtics
It is not without reason that the team is looking back on bumpy moments at this early point in the season. Just a few weeks ago, players like Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum were fighting each other publicly, it was about selfishness on the floor and a lack of leadership skills. The dispute was settled, however, and since then the Celtics have been working their way up to the playoff spots with a record of six wins and five bankruptcies.
Schröder’s rise in form is unmistakable, he actually seems to find his way around the traditional club. “Even if he comes off the bench, he should be on the field at the crucial moment with us,” says coach Udoka. Against Toronto, Schröder played until the end – and he seemed visibly motivated to continue doing his part in the show in Boston in the future.
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