Now, Dennis Schroder is a starting point guard in the NBA.
He officially took over the position for the Hawks in their 2016-17 regular-season opener against the Wizards on Thursday night at Philips Arena.
Schroder, 23, did so with a brand new contract signed two days before the first game.
The Hawks and Schroder agreed on a rookie contract extension of four years and $70 million. The deal features $62 million in guaranteed money, making the average annual salary at least $15.5 million. There was a Monday deadline to reach the deal or Schroder would have become a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
“I made the decision yesterday,” Schroder said Thursday morning following shootaround. “I talked to my family. I’ve been here my whole career now. The organization is great. My teammates are great. That’s the reason I’m here.”
The Hawks (1-0) used a 24-6 fourth-quarter run to break open a one-point game and record a 114-99 victory over the Wizards in the opener. The run gave the Hawks as much as a 19-point lead.
Paul Millsap powered the Hawks with a game-high 28 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He had eight points, including two 3-pointers, in the decisive run. Tim Hardaway Jr. came off the bench with 21 points on 8 of 13 shooting, including three 3-pointers.
Dwight Howard had a double-double of 11 points and 19 rebounds, including 15 in the first half, and three blocks. Schroder finished with 14 points and two assists and Thabo Sefolosha finished with 13 points.
Markieff Morris led the Wizards (0-1) with 22 points.
The Hawk made a commitment to Schroder as the starting point guard when they traded veteran Jeff Teague in the offseason. The commitment increased significantly with the extension that will keep Schroder in Atlanta until 2020-21, despite only 16 starts over his three seasons.
“We feel like Dennis is a starting point guard in the league,” said Mike Budenholzer, the Hawks’ president of basketball operations and head coach. “We have a ton of confidence in him and belief in him.”
Schroder averaged 11.0 points, 4.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 20.3 minutes last season. In five exhibition games, all starts, he averaged 10.4 points, 5.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 24.5 minutes.
After discussions with his family, Schroder said he wanted to stay with the organization that selected him in the first round in 2013 out of Germany.
“They said you’ve got to stay here,” Schroder said. “They took you from Germany all the way and brought you to Atlanta.
“It’s amazing. Basketball and the NBA, there is a lot of money right now. You never know you’d sign a contract like that when you first started playing basketball. It’s a blessing to be here in this organization and be a part of it.”
Schroder said before the season that he felt no pressure with the added responsibility of a starting position. He said Thursday that a new deal also would not affect. In fact, he said, there is less to worry about with his contract status resolved.
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