Dennis Schröder is Atlanta Hawks’ fifth franchise player in his fifth season. In an interview with SPOX, the German national team member spoke about his new role, the difficult start of his team and the legacy he wants to leave behind.
SPOX: Mr. Schröder, in your fifth year in Atlanta you are now the face of the franchise. What does it feel like?
Dennis Schröder: A very good one. It’s great that I got the trust from the organisation, the owners and the coaches to be the face. I’ve worked for this for years.
SPOX: It’s been going very well for you personally. They put on the best numbers in their careers. Is it because you feel the trust now?
Schröder: Yes, it certainly gave me strength and self-confidence. I just have to be aggressive. As a team we lost some games at the beginning of the season. But I also think we’re not far away. The games against the Boston Celtics were a good example. We lost one with three points and the other with nine. It was also a draw just before the end. We are not far from our destination.
SPOX: What are the reasons for this? When you look at the scoreboard you get a lot of points and then there is very little. Is this impression deceiving?
Schröder: In Paul Millsap and Tim Hardaway Jr. left us two important pillars that scanned a lot with me every night. Players like Rookie John Collins and Taurean Prince, who is in his second year, also play well. But we’re still young. If we play against guys like Kyrie Irving in the fourth quarter, we have to figure out how to win these games. Finally, we have to hit the throws. We haven’t done that yet. I believe, however, that we are on the right track and are continuously improving.
SPOX: You now stand at six wins. What is the positive thing that they have learned so far from the season?
Schröder: We try to give 100 percent in every game and only do small things wrong. If we can turn that off, we will certainly be able to win a few more games.
SPOX: Daniel Theis won a few more games with the Celtics. Did you think he and Boston were gonna take off like that?
Schröder: It was clear that they would be a good team. Even after the injury of Gordon Hayward they have a great substitute with Jaylen Brown, who plays very aggressively. Besides, I don’t mind Kyrie Irving. He wanted to leave Cleveland because LeBron James just outshone everything there. Kyrie’s doing great so far. I also talked to Daniel, who said that Kyrie is a good player. I also believe he has a chance to win the MVP title. For Daniel I am also happy that he is immediately in a winning team.
SPOX: Dirk Nowitzki is now playing in his 20th season. Season. How do you see him at an advanced age?
Schröder: He is still madness. He does his thing, hits his fadeaway jumpers, just what he’s been doing for 20 years now. He still performs in the best league in the world. This is not a matter of course. At his age, scoring and rebooting is even more difficult.
SPOX: It could be that he stops after the season and you will be the German figurehead. Can you prepare for something like that?
Schröder: I want my own legacy. I want to be Dennis Schröder and not the second Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk pretended he had a hell of a career. What he did for German basketball is wonderful. Because of him, basketball has evolved and I want to do the same. I would like to pass something on and hope that so many Germans will continue to be interested in basketball and that it will continue to grow.
SPOX: Dirk has been in Dallas for 20 years now. Would that be something for you in Atlanta, too?
Schröder: I don’t know. The NBA is a business, I could be traded next season and be in Milwaukee or Houston for example. I can’t control that. That’s why I always work hard to become better as a human being and as a player. But I see the boys more often than my family and it would be a pity if that really happened.