Dennis Schröder is off to a tremendous start at EuroBasket

EuroBasket isn’t exactly a massive event in the United States and only the most die-hard NBA fans pay close attention to the proceedings. However, representatives from the great majority of the league’s 30 teams are in action over the next two weeks and Dennis Schröder is leading the way for Germany.

Because of Dirk Nowitzki’s age, Schröder is the “next big thing” for German basketball and he has impressed considerably in the team’s first two games. In the opener against Ukraine, Schröder led all scorers with 32 points and he was efficient in doing so, making 11 of his 20 shot attempts, five of his nine threes and all five of his free throws. Beyond that, Schröder added seven assists (on 16 of Germany’s remaining baskets) and five rebounds to key a victory.

In follow-up, Schröder did not play quite as well against old pal Zaza Pachulia and the Georgian national team on Saturday but it was more than enough. The 23-year-old (again) led all scorers with 23 points, albeit on less efficient shooting at 8 of 19 from the floor.

On the downside, Schröder committed nine turnovers against just one assist in the game and that, of course, has been a problem for him in the past. With that said, he is shouldering a massive workload for the German team (almost in a similar fashion to what he’ll face in ATL this season) and the opposition from Georgia packed the paint to make things quite difficult for Schröder in this spot.

Schröder and his team will be in action again on Sunday against Israel and, if nothing else, this is an opportunity to watch entertaining basketball in early September. Actual box score results should be taken with a grain of salt given context but Dennis Schröder is playing quality basketball and that is always nice to see.