The Oklahoma City Thunder have been among the best teams in the NBA over the last few weeks – and Dennis Schröder is right in the middle of it. After his trade in the summer, Schröder has established himself as one of the team’s pillars alongside superstar Russell Westbrook.
SPOX met Schröder in Oakland for a first stocktaking. Schröder compared the organisation in OKC with that of the Atlanta Hawks, saw parallels between Braunschweig and Oklahoma City and analysed the previous interaction with the MVP of 2017.
The Thunder lost their first four games of the season, but since then they have won 14 games in just 3 defeats. In 29.5 minutes from the bench over the season, Schröder scored a good 16.6 points and 5.1 assists. His best game was against the Warriors, when he scored 32 points and scored 5 threes.
SPOX: Dennis, the first weeks with the new team are over, how did the Thunder start?
Dennis Schröder: So far very promising. I’m usually not a starter, but I’m the first one to come in and play regularly for about 30 minutes. Before I was traded, the Thunder told me that they couldn’t guarantee that I would start. So I was prepared for it. It’s a good organization and I knew this would be the right step for me. Just having players like Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Steven Adams on the team – just watching them train and prepare for the games, you can learn a lot. That helps me a lot.
SPOX: If you watch them together, you have the feeling that the team has already found each other well. Can you confirm that?
Schröder: The entire team has very good chemistry. I knew that from Atlanta, but here it is something different. So it is with the complete organization. Everyone is fair to each other and you can rely on what is communicated by the organization and the people here. That’s what I’m generally good about here.
SPOX: It’s no secret that you lost a lot of games at Atlanta last season. The franchise was perhaps not so wrong with regard to a good draftpick. With OKC the situation is now completely different. Has the desire to win returned?
Schröder: Oh yes, in this entire organization you can feel the winning mentality! No matter who we play, we want to win the game. Even against teams like the Golden State Warriors we have twelve guys waiting for us, hungry and eager to win the game. This is exactly what the management wants. We’re supposed to confidently go into every game and give everything for 48 minutes. And every one of us does, which is why it feels so good to be here.
SPOX: You’re nominally the backup behind Russell Westbrook from the bank, but you still spend a lot of time with him on the court. How do you divide the tasks on the field? Are there clear agreements as to who will bring the ball when and who will act off-ball? In summer this was considered a tricky topic.
Schröder: One thing is clear. If Russ wants the ball, he’ll get it, of course. I won’t stand in his way, that wouldn’t be wise. But Russ also knows he needs me. We want to push the ball and play at high pace whenever we can. We all have to move the ball fast for that. Russ is in a situation where he realizes that the team can only be successful in this way, that’s what it’s all about lately, although we still have to get a little used to each other and to this pace.
SPOX: Keyword Pace: You continue to live from your speed, but also act in new roles here, for example as a spot-up shooter. How has your game changed since you arrived in Oklahoma City?
Schröder: When I was traded, of course I knew that I would play a lot with Russ. Because he is constantly attacking the basket so hard and then finding the open man, it was clear that I would get some free throws. That’s why I worked a lot on my litter during the whole summer. If I can then, like in the game against the Warriors for example, contribute some threes to the victory, then it feels good that the work pays off. As I said, it was a very important aspect of my offseason to work on these litters.
SPOX: So a lot of things are going very well on the field, but how do you feel already in your new home OKC?
Schröder: Of course it’s a switch to Atlanta, but it’s actually a bit like my old home Braunschweig. It is a beautiful city, with water and some beautiful places. You can do a lot, especially with your family, but it is much quieter compared to Atlanta. My friends and my fiancée are in town with me. My brother and the rest of the family always commute to visit me as often as possible, which of course makes it easier for me to come to my new home.
*Booth: 12/03/2018