Dennis Schröder is only a spectator in the current playoffs as his Atlanta Hawks only won 24 games during the season. The German international spoke to Sport Bild about his frustration with the season.
“The hardest thing for me was always to go to the games when you know you don’t have the means to win the game. You just have to stay motivated and focused,” said Schröder, who was the Hawks’ top scorer with 19.4 points (Career High) this season.
Atlanta had clearly focused the season on a rebuild after Paul Millsap, among others, left last summer, and Schröder missed the playoffs for the first time in his career. But he has grown by this: “Mentally, I have definitely become stronger. A season like this isn’t easy.”
The Hawks recently parted company with head coach Mike Budenholzer, it is still unclear what the course will look like next season and who will take over for Budenholzer. That’s another reason why the man from Braunschweig interrupted plans for a second house in Atlanta: “I didn’t like a few things at the Hawks, so I didn’t feel comfortable building a house there now and investing money there, because I don’t know what the club’s plan is,” says Schröder.
According to Spotrac, Schröder is under contract with the Hawks for 15.5 million dollars each for the next three seasons. He hopes that the team will quickly reposition itself: “I wish we could get some more experienced NBA veterans who know how to win games, and then, of course, a few draft picks that can play directly,” says Schröder.
“We hope that the club will make a few transfers next season so that we can play in the playoffs again,” Schröder continued. The Hawks have a lottery pick, the exact position of which is still to be drawn. Atlanta has a 13.7% chance of winning the No.1 pick.