Dennis Schroder looking to bring needed leadership to Nets: ‘Just for winning basketball’
When the Nets swapped out unhappy Spencer Dinwiddie for Dennis Schroder, they praised the incoming point guard’s grit and leadership.
Those are traits he’ll look to put on display, as soon as Saturday versus the Spurs.
“It don’t matter what the circumstances are. I just want to win, and having that mentality of doing it as a team,” Schroder said. “Having a leader out there and just talking to teammates, even if it’s a bad situation.
“I’m always trying to be straightforward with guys and I want people to be the same way with me. If they see anything, what I can do better, just call it out, and then we go from there. That’s how I’ve been my whole career, and it’s just for great intentions, just for winning basketball, and that’s what I try to bring in.”
With Dinwiddie a distressed asset whose value dropped so badly the Raptors reportedly are waiving him, Schroder is a better return than most expected.
The 6-foot-1 Schroder is undersized and a middling shooter but is averaging 13.7 points and 6.1 assists coming off an MVP performance in last summer’s FIBA World Cup, carrying Germany to an undefeated mark and the gold medal.
“Every single day, I try to get better, and we’ve got a lot of talent in this locker room,” Schroder said. “I remember when Mikal [Bridges] and Cam [Johnson], they was on the Phoenix team, and we played them in the first playoff round. Really, really talented players. Lonnie [Walker IV], we made it last year to the Western Conference Finals. He had really big games for us.
“And everybody else in that locker room have great intentions of winning. And I just want to every single day give everything I have to win the day or win the game when we have one.”
Schroder, who inked a two-year, $26 million contract in July, averaged a career-high 19.4 points and 6.2 assists for Atlanta in 2017-18.
He was runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year two seasons later in Oklahoma City when he averaged 18.9 points and four assists.
The Nets saved about $5 million this season and are roughly $11 million under the tax threshold.
“Having a family, having three kids, a wife, it’s not easy. But at the end of the day, nothing really changed,” Schroder said. “Of course, I go to a new city, new situation. But at the end of the day, we play basketball for a living and really extremely grateful for it. And can’t wait to get to know everybody in the locker room, front office, everybody who is in this organization and get to work.
“Big city. I’m from Germany, Braunschweig, 250,000 people only, really small city, but at the end of the day, like I said, I mean, I’m a family person, always with my kids, my wife and my loved ones and of course the traffic is gonna hurt a little bit. But other than that, I mean, New York is always a big city, but it was always fun when I was here. Fans in Brooklyn was great as well.
“So I’m just excited, you know, take it day by day and try to get some wins.”