OKC Thunder: you shouldn’t be worried about Dennis Schröder

Some OKC Thunder fans were rightfully worried about Dennis Schröder joining the team. They should’ve been nothing but excited.

Dennis Schröder is a polarizing player. His signing prompted hesitation from OKC Thunder fans, and Hawks were tired of him. His starting job was put into the cross hairs by those holding seat in the court of public opinion.

Schröder was called immature by several people, including Jeff Schulz from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 

"Schroder is young (24) and talented (he led the Hawks in scoring last season and can beat a defender off the dribble) and he’s a pretty good ballhandler. But he’s rip-your-eyeballs-out maddening. He’s emotional and immature and streaky."

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When, in 2017, Schröder quibbled on-court with Dwight Howard and was benched thereafter, he let Coach Budenholzer have a piece of his mind, which was widely chided. Some believed his off-court legal troubles affirmed his immaturity and indicated emotional volatility.

These concerns are difficult to brush aside. Openly pettifogging with your coach and starting fights in front of hookah bars are legitimate issues.

Passionate and spirited individuals, when operating within difficult environments, can have trouble flourishing. Schröder is just that–passionate and spirited–and he was in a very difficult environment.

For the last 2 seasons, the Hawks were openly tanking.

What player, driven by the desire to win, could be happy playing for a team actively seeking a loss? If winning is the catalyst of Schröder’s craft, how difficult must it be to have that drive proactively choked out?

Probably not good. Which is why Schröder didn’t want to be in Atlanta.

Schröder’s environment cannot be the excuse for his behavior, but discontent is a powerful adversary.

Playing for a team with little national exposure, a system and structure designed to lose, and a host of personnel and player issues, Schröder’s talent was often overlooked.

Lucky for Schröder, he made it out.

Related: 3 reasons Dennis Schroder raises Thunder roster’s ceiling

Schröder in Blue

He’s got a new home now, and things are different. Like I pointed out early this week, Schröder is happy to be with the Thunder, and why wouldn’t he be? Schröder has gone on record saying he frequently watched film of Russell Westbrook while in Atlanta.

The comparison isn’t hard to make. Both are lightning quick slashers, underrated playmakers, and have similar shooting and defensive concerns.

For all his concerns, OKC fans should’ve been nothing but excited when he came to town. Since Reggie Jackson, the Thunder haven’t had a “super 6th” man or a dependable backup point guard. Now, they have them both.

Schröder is an impressive playmaker and doesn’t get enough credit for it. He routinely makes passes like these:

Schröder is a gifted playmaker with excellent feel and court vision. It’s the exact tool set a player needs to succeed in the pick and roll, making plays like these seem easy:

It looks good on that court, doesn’t it?

No Cause For Concern

Schröder has the talent to do exactly what he did in Atlanta: start in the NBA.

Those talents, presumably greater after another offseason training regime in the books, will now be going up against generally lesser talent in team’s second units. Schröder’s quickness, slashing ability, and passing will all shine brighter. His defensive concerns won’t be as apparent when guarding backup guards all night.

I understand the hesitation with Schröder. He has his baggage.

He also has a lightning quick first step, nuanced playmaking ability, and a renewed motivation, all spearheading toward NBA backups. I’m not worried one bit.