Dennis Schröder: All about the basketball

There's no swagger to Dennis Schröder as he walks into sneaker and street wear shop Snipes in Cologne to talk about the unveiling of a new line of clothing. His numerous social media channels may include the hashtag #SchrodersSwagTeam, but only his online fans believe that. The 21-year-old Atlanta Hawks point guard looks nervous as he takes to the stage to answers questions. Schröder doesn't look like the kind of imposing figure who is already taking the mantle off the legendary but ageing Dirk Nowitzki, or in fact the type of player to average an impressive 10.1 points and 4.2 assists a game in the final 10 games of the NBA season just finished. Then again, as the 30 second promotion video at the beginning reveals, Schröder is all about the basketball.

As soon as he's finished here, he will join Germany's basketball team as they prepare for Eurobasket - Europe's top international basketball competition - with a pair of tests against France before the big tip off on September 5th. It's on the court where Schröder feels most comfortable. The stage spotlight, the attention of the room; both are things he isn't comfortable with. Not yet, anyway. More and more hope is being rested on the young man's shoulders though, and even though he doesn't look like it, he says he's ready.

"Dirk [Nowitzki] said the whole team is behind me, which is a great honor for me. It's an honour to take it (the leader role) on," says Schröder, in between regular glances to the floor. It's clear that Nowitzki has become somewhat of a leading light in Schröder's life. Born into basketball by a fortunate twist of fate that saw him choose the ball over the skateboard, Schröder has constantly overcome the claim he was "too small, too slow, too weak." That self ac chip on his shoulder has been blunted as the youngster has matured from a difficult teammate to a leader, and Nowitzki has been there throughout.

Following in "The Big D's" footsteps

"Dirk shows everyone how to do it. He says it how it is too, so in training if it's not going well then he'll say so. That is something I must now try to do as a leader," says Schröder, a little more defiantly. The son of a German father and a Gambian mother acknowledges just how much he's changed personally over the last two years. "Atlanta has been a good place for me in that respect, learning how to handle things." The death of his father five years ago proved a turning point in his life, and particularly in his basketball career. It was then he really started to push towards realizing his sporting dream after making a promise to his father.

Back in 2013 when asked the inevitable Nowitzki successor question, Schröder told German sports magazine "kicker" that he wasn't putting any pressure on himself and that he didn't pay too much attention to what the media were saying. Two years later, his reply shows just how much he has matured. "He plays in a different position, but it's incredible what he's done. I always watch what he does in training. As point guard, I'm the extension of the coach on the court but if Dirk says we should run a certain play then I do my best to make that happen."

Both on and off the court, Schröder has achieved a great deal. Drafted into the NBA in 2013, Schröder has continued to get better - which is pivotal in a league of endless numbers. Adding European store Snipes to his locker is a nice touch, particularly in a world where Nike (his main sponsor) and Adidas dominate. As much as the off-the-court hype is often unnecessary, there is something fitting about Schröder now being the face of a shop he used to buy from when he was younger. "I used to look forward to getting Dirk's shoes, so to be in this situation myself now is amazing," says Schröder, who estimates his own shoe collection to be somewhere between 250 and 300 pairs.

Whatever he wears on his feet, Schröder, and Nowitzki, will have to pull out some heroics if Germany are to make their home advantage count in this year's Eurobasket after being handed the toughest group in the tournament. To make the knockout rounds, Germany must face heavy-weights Spain, Serbia and an Italian team returning to strength and despite good pre-tournament form, this is a monumental task. Schröder says he "just wants to make the finals so we [Germany] can go to the Olympics" and even though they'll be led by the well respected Chris Fleming, the 29th best ranked team face a great ask to deliver a final spot in front of a home crowd. Perhaps on the court though, we might just see Schröder's swagger after all.