SAN FRANCISCO — Quickly to be 6 years outdated, Dennis Schroder Jr. is sufficiently old now to know what it meant when his dad received a telephone name this week informing him that he had been traded to the Golden State Warriors. In his younger life will probably be the seventh completely different jersey his dad has worn.
“We’re lucky, now it’s a good team, at least,” the eldest of Schroder’s three youngsters stated, in accordance with his father, who went by way of his first apply Tuesday since being acquired from the 10-16 Brooklyn Nets to present the Warriors (14-11) the second choice to Steph Curry they’ve lacked since De’Anthony Melton’s season-ending damage.
Basic supervisor Mike Dunleavy despatched Melton, Reece Beekman and three second-round draft picks to Brooklyn in change for Schroder as quickly as he was eligible to be traded, and coach Steve Kerr stated he anticipated the 31-year-old guard to debut alongside Curry within the beginning lineup Thursday in Memphis.
“They treated me like we’ve been here together since training camp,” Schroder stated. “Everybody was really cool, chill. The chemistry I see is on a high level. It’s just a winning organization.”
At his first apply inside Chase Heart, Schroder suited up reverse Curry on the second unit for his or her scrimmage.
“He will definitely play all of the non-Steph minutes, but I like the idea of them together, as well,” Kerr stated of Schroder’s function. “I put him opposed (to Curry) because I wanted to get him with that second group. I thought that was more important than getting him with Steph in that first group, but there will be both, for sure.”
Since shedding Melton, the Warriors have gone from 9-2 and close to the highest of the Western Convention to 14-11 and combating to remain out of a play-in spot. They’ve misplaced eight of their previous 10 video games and fallen flat offensively in crunch time when their opponents swarm Curry, who’s 37 and coping with a number of illnesses.
However after one apply with Schroder, who’s averaging 18.4 factors and a career-best 6.6 assists per sport, optimism abounded.
“Come in, get acclimated. Figure out what we’re doing. He’s a very intelligent guy, so give him the basic concepts of a set. He already knows what we’re trying to do, how we’re trying to play. I feel like it’s going to be good, exciting,” veteran Gary Payton II stated. “We’ve got another ballhandler, someone to take a little pressure off of 30 and lets him roam around and do what he does. I know Dennis is going to be himself — aggressive, but also still a playmaker — so I’m excited to see.”
“We did some late-game situational stuff, and you just know he’s going to take care of the ball, get you into pick-and-roll spacing,” Kerr added. “It just feels like he’s going to get you a good shot, whether it’s him or his teammates.”
Schroder, who was born in Braunschweig, Germany, stated he all the time admired San Francisco as a visiting participant with the Hawks, Thunder, Lakers, Celtics, Rockets, Lakers (once more), Raptors and Nets.
“When you’d walk out (of the hotel), it would kind of look like Europe, kind like Berlin, with the train right on the street,” Schroder stated. “There was one store with German candy in it, I remember. So I’ve loved San Francisco from the start.”
Schroder’s household had simply gotten settled in Brooklyn when his agent referred to as to inform him it was time to search out one other new residence. In 12 NBA seasons, almost a 3rd of the league is represented on the again of his basketball card (eight groups, in complete).
Requested if that raises any pink flags, Kerr stated, “Sure, it can,” earlier than including, “I played on six, so I guess I had red flags.
“The way I always looked at it was those were six teams that wanted me. Dennis has had (eight) now that have wanted him.”
Schroder stated he’ll put on No. 71, an inverse of the quantity he has all the time worn in honor of his late father, Axel, with No. 17 unavailable.
Whereas he stated the racism he skilled rising up in Germany because the son of a German father and a Gambian mom was “tough,” the chance to hold the German flag throughout this summer time’s Olympic opening ceremonies was “probably the biggest thing I’ve ever done, besides my family.”
The chance to play subsequent to Curry may prime it, although, at the very least to 1 member of the family.
“It’s funny, my son always asked me for his jersey and I’ve been trying for like three or four years,” Schroder stated. “Like, ‘Steph, can I get your jersey? I didn’t say it was for my son. But it was like, ‘Oh damn, I gave it to (someone else)’ and I couldn’t get it.”
Schroder lastly acquired the valuable threads on the Warriors’ final journey to Brooklyn.
Simply in time so as to add one other jersey to his assortment.
“Every time when you open the NBA app and see Golden State plays, you get excited just because of how (Curry) plays, he plays like a video game,” Schroder stated. “Just having fun, laughing, making the right reads every single time. He’s one of the superstars I’ve got a lot of respect for because he don’t care if he scores 10, 20, 30 or 40, when he gets double-teamed he’s making the right play. I’m really excited. I can’t say it enough.”
Notable
— Moses Moody, who has missed the previous two video games with knee tendonitis, didn’t apply. Kerr stated his standing for Thursday is uncertain.
Initially Revealed: December 17, 2024 at 5:43 PM PST
