By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The efforts of Dennis Schroder to link himself with the fans in the Barclays Center were successful. Inadvertent help from Victor Wembanyama was necessary late in the meeting of the Brooklyn Nets with the San Antonio Spurs on the most recent installment of NBA Saturdays.
Schroder, 30, took an elbow to the face from Wemby. His passionate response with a quick foul to protest and make a point to the French prodigy proving he is OK sent chants of his name across the venue. “It is just a great night for me, getting the W and the fans screaming my name,” he recapped his Nets debut, “Wemby’s a pretty tall dude and it definitely hurts. I gotta ice it.”
The German point guard posted a 15-point, 12-assist double-double. His showing fueled snapping a three-game losing streak and improving to 21-31 in the 2023-24 Regular Season. “I’m glad we got the win, it was the most important, but of course the appreciation is there. I love that the fans did it. Big-time for me,” noted Schroder.
“Just be aggressive, find my open teammates, push it in transition, play defense. They made it easy for me,” the experienced floor general credited teammates and coaches for his strong debut.
Entering his 11th NBA campaign as the MVP of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, he joined the Toronto Raptors. Averaging 13.7 points, 6.1 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.9 steals per contest described his run with the lone Canadian NBA franchise.
Photo Credit: Getty Images