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Atlanta Hawks rookie Dennis Schroöder played 19 minutes in Thursday's loss to the Brooklyn Nets and finished with eight points, two assists and two steals to go along with three turnovers. It was his first action of 2014. His last appearance came on New Year's Eve in Atlanta's win at Boston.
Finding minutes for Schröder has been tough this season. Jeff Teague is entrenched as the starter and Shelvin Mack has emerged as a steady backup. Mack incidentally finished with 17 points and seven assists against the Nets. The Hawks being without DeMarre Carroll gave Schröder an opportunity for minutes. He looked more in control while on the court, got inside for a couple of nice baskets and found Mike Scott on a lob at the rim during his first half stint.
Despite his lack of playing time, Schröder has continued to work hard and Mike Budenholzer recently talked about his work ethic and how he is maturing to TalkBasket's John Hobbs.
"I like him a lot," The Hawks coach admitted. "His work ethic is first class and he is maturing quicker than most youngsters I have seen. He needs a few years to gain a certain leadership mentality, but he'll get there. He's in a good place to gain that quality."
Schroöder recognizes that as the point guard he has to be the leader. That is something that he has tried to incorporate throughout his short career.
"Everywhere I go I try to be a leader for the team," Schroeder said. "I try to put the team together and try to be successful on the court and try to win games."
The challenge for Budenholzer going forward is finding time on the court for Schroöder. That is something to keep an eye on as they approach the trade deadline in February.
