Dennis Schröder is moving to the Golden State Warriors and is already creating excitement. Head coach Steve Kerr and superstar Stephen Curry have nothing but praise for the German world champion, who they see as the perfect complementary player and key to their playoff hopes.
“I’m thrilled,” Kerr said after his team’s 133-143 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, adding with a grin, “I told Dennis that he kicked my butt on three different continents.” And if you can’t beat someone, you’ve got to team up with them.
Kerr was referring to the NBA playoffs in the 2022-2023 season, when Schröder and the Los Angeles Lakers knocked out the Warriors in the Western Conference semi-finals: “He was brilliant there.” Kerr also recalled the USA’s semi-final defeat to eventual world champions Germany at the 2023 World Cup in the Philippines and the warm-up game for the 2024 Olympics, when both teams met in London. Kerr was head coach of the US team in both cases.
Stephen Curry on Schröder: “I’m excited to play with him now”
The change makes perfect sense, Kerr emphasized, and offered Schröder the prospect of playing alongside Curry for the Warriors: “It seems perfect to have him start alongside Steph.” The Warriors need another player to direct the build-up alongside the dreaded three-point shooter. Schröder is also an “excellent defender,” Kerr said. Schröder is expected to make his debut for the Californians on Thursday against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Curry is also pleased with the move. Schröder “gives us everything we need. I’m really excited to play with him now,” said the 36-year-old, who led the Warriors to four championships between 2015 and 2022. The San Francisco-based team has only won two of its last ten games and is currently not in an automatic playoff spot in the Western Conference.
