Perhaps it is fitting that Dennis Schroder’s best game as a professional came against Rajon Rondo.
Schroder has been compared to the Celtics All-Star point guard since he started playing basketball as a teenager in Germany. On Tuesday, Schroder scored a career-high 15 points in the Hawks’ dramatic come-from-behind 109-105 victory over the Celtics. The second-year point guard played the final 15:27 in place of starter Jeff Teague. He scored 13 second-half points as the Hawks erased a 23-point first-half deficit. Schroder also had three rebounds – including a game-winning board on the Celtics’ final possession – and four assists.
“Everyone’s compared him to Rondo his whole life,” Kyle Korver said after the game. “He had some extra energy tonight. He’s been real consistent for us all year. He really has been a consistent player for us all year long. To be that young, he’s got a super bright future ahead of him.”
The career-high point total marked the eighth, and fourth straight, time Schroder has scored in double figures this season. He did so twice as a rookie last year, both times hitting exactly 10 points. Schroder also had a career-high six field goals.
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer elected to stay with Schroder’s hot hand with the game on the line while Teague, himself having an All-Star caliber season, remained on the bench.
“I had it in New York one time (this season),” Schroder said. “It was an amazing feeling to help the team win. Today, we played great on defense and it worked well. (Coach) had a lot of trust in me and left me in.”
Schroder has averaged 8.8 points, 2.9 assists, 1.7 rebounds, 1.5 turnovers and 0.8 steals in 17 minutes this season. He has appeared in 15 of the Hawks’ 16 games.
As a rookie, Schroder averaged 3.7 points and 1.9 assists in 13 minutes over 49 games. He did a stint in the NBA Development League to get playing time and work on limiting his turnovers.
Schroder also worked on his game this summer, playing for the Hawks in the Las Vegas Summer League and for the German national team in a Eurobasket qualifying tournament. Schroder said he learned three valuable lessons playing for Germany - take care of the ball, talk to teammates on the court and look for his shot by using his speed to drive to the basket. He said he also worked on needed improvement to his outside shot.
It turns out that translates to the NBA.
“I think I’m more aggressive than I was last year,” Schroder said. “My confidence is up. Coach trusts in me. He put me in the game and told me to play. When I do this, I think it works out well.”
Teammates and coaches point to the maturity that Schroder has shown this year. Al Horford said the 21-year old has figured out that talent isn’t everything. Surviving in the league is about putting in the work, having a good attitude and coming in focused and ready to play.
Budenholzer has also seen growth in Schroder – and it helps that the coach is playing him on a regular basis.
“He has matured in a lot of ways,” Budenholzer said. “And his game has grown. You are seeing that on the court. He has to continue to get better. He’s got to continue to improve. That is going to be important for him.”
This brings us back to Rondo.
Schroder said he did not know about the Celtics guard as he was being compared to him while growing up. So, he did some research. Schroder said he watched Rondo play on television and immediately liked the comparison.
“When I was young I watched him a lot,” Schroder said. “Every day I tried to watch a game from him, stayed up late. It’s amazing to play against him now. … I tried to learn from him.”
Schroder had a chance encounter with Rondo while out to dinner Monday night before the game. They had a quick conversation with no secrets shared. One night later, it was evident that the Hawks guard was well on his way to a promising NBA career.
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