Dennis Schröder signed his contract with the Toronto Raptors during the Summer League in Las Vegas. The man from Braunschweig wants to play a leading role in Canada.
“We have some veterans here, but also younger players. I think we can play a good role. My role will be to lead the team and make sure the young players get better,” said Schröder at his press conference in Las Vegas. The captain of the German national team will pocket a total of 25.4 million dollars over the next two years.
“Dennis is fearless, creative and very ambitious,” Raptors President Masai Ujiri said in a statement. “We are delighted that Dennis has chosen us.” According to the Braunschweiger, the new coach Darko Rajakovic played a decisive role in Schröder ultimately choosing the Canadians in free agency. The Serb was an assistant coach during Schröder’s time with the Oklahoma City Thunder and maintains a good relationship with the German point guard.
“He makes sure nobody lets things slide. No matter how difficult it is, he tells you when you’ve done something right or wrong. He’s very direct and I like that because that’s how I operate as a player.” Schröder will most likely take the position of the departed Fred VanVleet and thus act as a starter again.
Dennis Schröder wants to take responsibility in Toronto
Schröder himself also indicated this. “I’ve proven over the years now that I can be a starter at one. We have good young players in Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby and the others and I think we can be competitive. That’s important to me.”
However, Toronto will not be competing for the title like Schröder’s old team, the Lakers. That’s okay for the man from Braunschweig, because he wants to take on more responsibility himself. “I’ve played with a lot of great players over the past few years. This year I want to be more in control of the ball. I think with the length of the team and the many defenders it’s a good situation for me.”
The Raptors missed the playoffs last season, losing their first play-in game to Toronto at home to the Chicago Bulls. The Canadians have only won one playoff series since the 2019 championship. Not only did ex-all-star VanVleet leave Toronto in the summer, master coach Nick Nurse was also fired. At the same time, there are still trade rumors about Anunoby or All-Star Pascal Siakam, whose contracts both expire next summer.
Dennis Schröder: His stations in the NBA
SaisonTeamPunkteAssistsRebounds13/14Hawks3,71,91,214/15Hawks10,04,12,115/16Hawks11,04,42,616/17Hawks17,96,33,117/18Hawks19,46,23,118/19Thunder15,54,13,619/20Thunder18,94,03,620/21Lakers15,35,83,521/22Celtics/Rockets13,54,63,322/23Lakers12,64,52,5
2023-07-13 05:03:00
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