The future is now: Potential Celtics draftee Dennis Schroeder


The draft is mere hours away now and one player that has been repeatedly linked to the Celtics with the 16th overall pick is German import Dennis Schroeder.

Full Name: Dennis Schroeder
Hometown: Braunschweig, Germany
Date of Birth: September 15, 1993 (19 years old)
Height: 6'2”
Weight: 165 lbs.
Wingspan: 6'7.25”

Overseas Career: The point guard has burst on the scene after showing off his considerable talent in the Nike Hoop Summit last April. Before that, he spent the past two years playing for the NY Phantoms and SU Medien in Germany. In 31 games for the Phantoms last year, Schroeder averaged 11.9 ppg and 3.3 apg in 24.7 minutes per game while shooting 40.2 percent from three and 83.8 percent from the free throw line. Besides the shooting percentages, those numbers don't really jump off the page. But remember, this guy is still a teenager playing against grizzled veterans over in Europe and still managed to eek out over 20 minutes per game.

Scouting Report:

Strengths: Schroeder has been compared to Rajon Rondo multiple times and the comparison fits. He can dish like the best of them and flashes down the court on the open break. The biggest difference between Rondo and the German is Schroeder has a jumper to go along with his speed, ball handling and passing. Can you imagine? Rondo shooting 40 percent from three? He would be unstoppable and that's what Schroeder has the potential to be. He's big enough at 6'2” to be able to hang with the other point guards in the league and be able get his shot off and defend opposing guards shots without his height being an issue like it would with say a Shane Larkin (5'11”) who the Celtics could also draft if they were looking for a point guard.

Weaknesses: The biggest weakness Schroeder has is also kind of a strength. At 19 years old, he makes teenager mistakes which lead to turnovers and isn't exactly the most confident in his game yet. Those issues will iron themselves out with more experience and simply coming into his own as a player and a person. He does need to work on a mid-range game, but that shouldn't be a big adjustment since he drains the long ball easily. Unfortunately, Schroeder shares another characteristic with Rondo in that they both have issues finishing inside, but this could simply be the confidence issue rearing its head again and could be dealt with as he gets older.

Video Breakdown (courtesy of DraftExpress):



How he fits the Celtics: One of the biggest issues that the Celtics had last season was there was nobody to pick up the ball handling duties once Rondo went down with the torn ACL. Schroeder not only gives Boston that backup ball handler, but he also gives the Celtics insurance should they deal Rondo as part of the rebuild or lose him to free agency in a couple years. In this draft at pick 16, there aren't a whole lot of prospects that have the kind of ceiling and superstar potential that Schroeder has. Based solely on his talent and the kind of player he could develop into, this pick is a no brainer for Boston. The fact they need a backup point guard anyway is just icing on the cake. Did I mention how young he is? The guy is already one of the top point guard prospects in the draft and he hasn't even turned 20 years old yet. He's only going to get better, so Danny Ainge better make sure Schroeder does his growing in green.

Other “Future is Now” profiles: Shane Larkin, Steven Adams, Jeff Withey, Kelly Olynyk, Shabazz Muhammad, Gorgui Dieng

Follow Eric
@ericblaisdell13