44 days ago, Dennis Schröder led the German basketball players to World Cup gold. The 30-year-old still reminisces about the historic triumph. He is now required in the NBA – with the Toronto Raptors.
The training hall Toronto Raptors is easy to miss – especially on a cold, wet day like this. The thermometer barely reaches double-digit degrees, the 553 meter high CN Tower, once the tallest building in the world, is shrouded in a mix of fog and clouds, like all the other skyscrapers in downtown Toronto. It’s autumn in Canada’s largest city – unmistakably.
In the OVO Athletic Centre The mood is still relaxed. Dennis Schröder has the most fun. When the Braunschweiger scored the decisive free throw in a duel with some teammates after the training session, he sprinted through the hall cheering in his black, sleeveless shirt with the red letters “Toronto Raptors Basketball”.
Coach Rajakovic crucial for signature
Schröder has only been here for a few weeks, but he already feels comfortable. “Team, coaching staff, organization – everything is very good. I am pleased to be here”, he says in an interview with sportschau.de. He had always liked Toronto when he and his teams visited here over the past ten years.
And then there was another important point for him to sign a two-year contract in the summer: new Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic. He was an assistant coach at the team in 2018 Oklahoma City Thunder. When Schröder was back then from the Atlanta Hawks was exchanged there, Rajakovic was the first to contact him and went to dinner with the German and his family. “We had a lot of fun back then and invested a lot of time on the field. It was also because of him that I chose Toronto”says Schröder.
Coach-player relationship strained in the World Cup final
Rajakovic happily returns the compliments. He emphasizes that his German playmaker has “matured”. “He was great at Oklahoma. But now he’s on a completely different level“, emphasizes the 44-year-old. The good relationship between the two was somewhat strained on September 10th. Rajakovic is Serbian – and Schröder played with Germany against Serbia in the World Cup final that Sunday.
The man from Braunschweig can’t help but smile as he tells how they both texted each other before the final. The coach was annoyed by his compatriots’ 77:83 defeat, but at the same time he was happy for Schröder. In general, Germany’s national team captain, who was also considered the “most valuable player” (MVP) the World Cup, many congratulations and congratulations from his new club.
World Cup triumph “still unreal”
It has now been 44 days since the World Cup triumph in Manila. But for Schröder it is one thing above all: “Still unreal. Can’t believe it at all. Really crazy.” Although for him and the Raptors the new NBA season begins on Wednesday (local time) with a home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves begins, Schröder still watches the German World Cup highlights every day. And of course there is also the national team’s WhatsApp group. “It is active and we should keep it that way throughout the season”says Schröder.
His goal in Toronto: the playoffs. Naturally. For this to work, it will also be important for him to work together with Jakob Pöltl – the 2.13 meter tall center and the only Austrian in the NBA. Pöltl finds it “pleasant to have someone with whom you can also speak German”, he tells sportschau.de. The Viennese sees it as an advantage with the Braunschweiger “communicate with each other in German in the game and most other players won’t understand it”.
Good basketball address Toronto
From a sporting point of view, Toronto is, above all, because of its being NHL-Team that Maple Leafs, world famous. However, the city has long since become a good basketball address. In 2019, the Raptors, led by Kahwi Leonard, won it for the first time N.B.A-title to Canada. And if you drive through Toronto’s suburbs, you won’t see any children playing street hockey on the street, but you will see basketball hoops hanging over many garage doors and in property driveways.
Schröder’s NBA career included playing for the record champions Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics played. From now on he will wear the jersey of the only NBA team from Canada. Yes, that is something special, he emphasizes. Schröder doesn’t talk about “Canada’s team”, but he has already felt the support of the supporters in the weeks of preparation for the season.
Seventh NBA stop in the eleventh NBA year
The first preparatory game against Sacramento Kings in Vancouver, 4,400 kilometers away, was sold out, as was the last test game last Friday in Toronto against the Washington Wizards. “Basketball is huge here. The fans are there, supporting. You can’t ask for more as a player”said Schröder.
The Raptors are his seventh NBA stop in his eleventh year in the NBA. Schröder has already seen a lot in the USA. Atlanta, Oklahoma, LA, Boston, Houston, LA again. Now a Canadian chapter follows in Toronto. He understands that the NBA is a business. “You don’t know what happens, can be traded until February.” Nevertheless, Schröder seems relaxed when he says these words. Sounds like someone who has gotten used to the nomadic life, or maybe just had to get used to it. “I’m just trying to enjoy day by day that I’m here in the best league in the world.”