Dennis Schröder, the Hall of Famer? If you’ve only watched Schröder in the NBA, this article might catch you by surprise. Despite being a solid NBA player, Schröder doesn’t have the NBA accolades to even be considered for that kind of honor. Luckily for Schröder, his performances for Germany have him squarely in the conversation. 

Schröder and Germany just took down Alperen Sengun and Turkey to win Eurobasket 2025, with Dennis taking home MVP honors. This is the second massive win and individual award for Schröder, who also won the 2023 FIBA World Cup title and MVP with his home country.

FIBA Dennis is DIFFERENT 😈

Dennis Schroder is the #EuroBasket 2025 TISSOT MVP 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/Zm0nQuUQ69

— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 14, 2025

Schröder has been almost laughably good for Germany, never averaging less than 15 points and 5 assists per game in any competition. During the 2024 Paris Olympics, Schröder averaged 17 points and 7.5 assists while being named to the All-Star 5. 

Schröder took his play up another level in EuroBasket, where he put up 21 points and 6.6 assists per game on the way to the title for Germany. Schröder often looked like the best player on the court despite playing with Franz Wagner and against players like Luka Doncic and Alperen Sengun. Schröder was especially excellent in the final two games, dishing out twelve assists in both and averaging 21 points. His 12 dimes were the most by any player in a Eurobasket final in the last 30 years. 

DENNIS SCHRODER WITH A DAGGER IN THE #EUROBASKET FINAL 😱🇩🇪pic.twitter.com/yi1XsBq5oF

— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) September 14, 2025

Those reading this may not know that the Naismith Hall of Fame recognizes basketball excellence in general, not solely the NBA. Sergei Belov, Drazen Petrovic, Dino Meneghin, and Sarunas Marciulionis are examples of players who made the Hall primarily from their international accolades. 

Domantas Sabonis’ father, Arvydas, is a great example of an inductee who played in the NBA like Schröder but was a much better European player. All together, Schröder has two MVP awards, three medals, and two All-Star 5 nods, which isn’t far off from some of the aforementioned enshrined greats. 

Germany wins, with Dennis Schroder hitting the game-sealing jumper and free throws inside the final 30 seconds. Tough ending for Turkey, which had a great tournament.

And, as we discussed on the pod last week, Dennis Schroder has a real HOF case based off his international play. https://t.co/5Qf6087eyn

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) September 14, 2025

Dennis has been a good NBA player, not a great one. He’s been at his best as a reserve, finishing second in Sixth Man of the Year voting behind Montrezl Harrell in 2019-20. His best seasons were earlier in his career with Atlanta and Oklahoma City, scoring 15.5 points per game or more after his first three seasons in the league, until he joined the Los Angeles Lakers. 

There’s a reason he’s made a good amount of money in the league, but the European version of Schröder would be a bona fide starter for many teams in the NBA. Instead, there’s an argument to be made that Schröder is the worst of the 30 starting point guards in the league. 

Dennis Schroder SEALING it for Germany with these two clutch buckets 🔥

(via @EuroBasket)pic.twitter.com/J4pkedcJyA https://t.co/qDUhv2qozt

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 14, 2025

In my previous article, I wrote about how certain players are simply better with the ball in their hands. In my opinion, this is why Schröder looks different for Germany. If you watch the games from EuroBasket 2025, you’ll often see Schröder with the ball in his hands, attacking the basket and orchestrating the offense, with Franz Wagner playing second fiddle. 

In the NBA, Wagner is the far better player, but Schröder is on another level in international play. Schröder has shades of Russell Westbrook in his FIBA game, moving defenders with his eyes, passing teammates into open space, and getting downhill at will. The opportunity Schröder gets with Germany helps him excel, and the rule differences likely play a part as well. 

Another huge reason why Schröder isn’t quite the same in the NBA boils down to the size and athleticism of point guards. At 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, Schröder is one of the smallest lead guards in the NBA. With the growth of positionless basketball and reliance on switching, point guards have gotten significantly larger in stature. 

Cade Cunningham, Luka Doncic, Josh Giddey, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are all 6-foot-6 or above, and many others fall just under that line. The smaller guards in the league, like Jalen Brunson, Trae Young, and Donovan Mitchell, make up for their lack of size with incredible offensive skill that Schröder just doesn’t measure up to. 

Schröder can still be a good player for Sacramento and make a difference for a team that had no real point guards on the roster to end the season. The real issue with Schröder is his lesser impact when he doesn’t have the ball. As a career 34% three-point shooter, he’s only marginally better than the Kings’ worst shooter in DeRozan and won’t help space the floor like the Kings need. 

There’s always the chance he continues his Eurobasket dominance in the 2025/26 NBA season, but it would be a big surprise for all the reasons I laid out. For now, Schröder can revel in all of his well-deserved success as he celebrates a big win, MVP award, and his birthday all at the same time.