A career-best start and a clear leadership role have so far highlighted what may be a full season of Dennis Schroder in Brooklyn.
Schroder, who the Nets traded for in February 2023, has also started the season seemingly on a mission to get the fans to know him on a deeper level beyond what they see on the court.
The 12-year veteran point guard has started posting YouTube videos around his day-to-day with the Nets — something that he has done with previous teams including the Raptors and the Germany national team during the Paris Olympics.
The series initially started to show that Schroder wasn’t what many perceived him to be.
“I mean, I started that in LA 2020. People thought — before I did that — people thought I was arrogant,” Schroder said Monday night after the Nets beat the Grizzlies, 106-104. “And because I posted a car when I was in Atlanta, a golden [Audi] R8 I remember, and Germany went crazy and said he’s not humble. Then my best friend who lives with me was like, ‘Listen, we should do YouTube, just for the people who don’t know you to get to know you.’ I think that started everything that people know how humble we are as a family. It don’t matter how high you get, we’re always humble and we know where we’re coming from. And I think that helped us in Germany, in the whole world, that they know we’re humble and we’re just grateful to be here.”
It shows glimpses into his family life and his German culture, as well as moments of traveling with the Nets and flashes of teammates, which helps further give an identity to the rebuilding team.
Schroder, who is on an expiring $13 million contract this season, has expressed his desire to stay with the Nets long term, and he has continued to back that up with the expressed interest in reaching the fans through YouTube, as well as his strong play.
The Nets entered the season with sportsbooks setting the team’s win total at 19.5. Now, the Nets are 4-4 — good for third in the East heading into Tuesday’s games — with Schroder taking the leadership reins, averaging 19.9 points on 50 percent shooting.
“The head of the snake,” was what Dorian Finney-Smith called Schroder in regard to the Nets defense, showing his value again on Monday in big moments at Barclays Center to cap off the Nets’ fourth win.
With 38 seconds remaining in the game and the Nets up 104-101, Schroder drove to the rim on 7-foot-4 Zach Edey for the Nets’ final basket.
“Yeah, I didn’t teach him that,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said of the drive on Edey following the victory. “I said, ‘Dennis, you do whatever you want. Just take me home.’ … At the end of the day, this is his job for the team, his leadership and then, deliver. I’ve seen it already. I’ve seen it in the international world and I’ve seen it in the NBA so, I’m not surprised.”
After Jaren Jackson answered with a three-pointer to pull Memphis within two with 29 seconds left, Schroder came up with a huge defensive play — poking the ball out of Ja Morant’s hands with 4.2 seconds left — and delaying the Grizzlies’ airball final shot by Santi Aldama.
Schroder is aware of the responsibility that comes with his role. He admitted he knows everything “starts with the point guard,” and that his teammates feed off of his defensive energy.
“I think when somebody, you know, the point guard picking up full court, and they see you in the backcourt, you know, hustling, it feeds over to them making sure they’re pressuring, and they are in the right spots,” he said. “And that’s what coach wants from me, and I’m gonna do it every single night. I did it my whole career, if you follow my career, that’s how I got my playing time in the league. And luckily, we got a coach who loves that 94 feet pressure, and everybody’s buying into it.”
The Braunschweig, Germany native scored 20 points and had six assists, two rebounds, and a steal in the 106-104 win. It was his fifth game with 20 points or more in the Nets’ first eight games..
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