Ex-Atlanta Hawks point guard Dennis Schroder has been working his way into the EuroBasket tournament for Germany. After struggling a little in the first game, Schroder’s class has been on display throughout the next three group games.
He was rested for the final group game as there was no chance of the German national team losing the top spot in group B. The national coach certainly realizes how crucial Schroder is if the Germans want to go deep into the tournament as they stated prior to EuroBasket starting.
Now, Schroder did not do it all himself though, he was ably assisted by Franz Wagner who had 14 points and five rebounds. This play meant that the Germans were plus 15 when Wagner was on the court. Not bad in a six-point win for the Orlando Magic player.
Ex-Atlanta Hawks wing Dennis Schroder leads Germany in the playoffs
When the Germans needed a true Schroder masterclass in the first round of the playoffs, he delivered. He helped Germany beat Montenegro 85-79 which is a good result but the really tough games are about to start as this was only the round of 16.
Schroder had 22 points, eight assists, four rebounds, and a steal in the win. However, he again struggled with his shooting from beyond the arc. He only went 2-of-7 from the perimeter which was not the best. The other negative from Schroder’s game was that he also had five turnovers.
What must be taken into account was that Schroder was the only German player on the court for more than 30 minutes, he played 35. Also, to be fair, Schroder plays at a higher level than most of his teammates and that never helps a point guard when it comes to turnovers.
Germany is waiting to see who its next opponent is but, in true Schroder fashion, he will just focus on his game and make whoever it is, stop him. It is a little hard to believe that Schroder is one of the top free agents remaining to be signed this late in the offseason.
He has interest from the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks but he is just letting his play do the talking in EuroBasket. That is all that he can do.