German basketball hero Dennis Schroder is ready to reunite together with his nationwide coach Darko Rajakovic on the Toronto Raptors this season.
In July, Schroder opted to depart the Lakers and signal a two-year, $26 million contract with the Raptors.
This was proper earlier than the FIBA Basketball World Cup marketing campaign – the place Schroder performed for Germany and simply so occurred to be coached by Rajakovic.
Schroder admitted the principle purpose for him signing with Toronto was due to his historical past with Rajakovic.
“I think Darko [Rajakovic], the head coach,” Schroder mentioned on ESPN’s NBA Today. “I met him five years ago in OKC, we became friends and I like how he was coaching myself and the team. He called me right away when he took over and I said to my agent that I wanted to be there, I wanted to be a part of that. I think it’s a great fit, play like in the national team: handling the ball a little bit more, go out and run.”
If FIBA was a preview of issues to return in Toronto then look out, as a result of the German group had been the shock packet, in addition to the powerhouses of the match.
They brought on a shock upset in opposition to Team USA within the semi-finals after which went on to beat Serbia to a gold medal, which marked the primary time within the nation’s historical past its ever gained gold at a FIBA match.
The Raptors guard earned himself FIBA MVP honors for his performances by averaging 19.1 factors and 6.1 assists per recreation.
The 30-year-old started his skilled basketball profession again in 2011 when he performed for Braunschweig and made the transition to the NBA when he was chosen because the seventeenth total decide by the Hawks in 2013.
As for Rajakovic, Toronto employed the Serbian native to exchange Nick Nurse after the franchise completed ninth within the Eastern Conference and struck out within the first spherical of the play-in match in opposition to Chicago.
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