RIGA (Latvia) - The dust has settled on Germany captain Dennis Schroder's successful summer, with another trophy raised and another MVP award going to his trophy cabinet.
He was named TISSOT MVP of FIBA EuroBasket 2025, just as he was at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. In FIBA competition, Schroder continues to perform at an All-Star level - matching or even outshining players who are far more celebrated than him in the NBA.
It is a stark contrast to the NBA, where he has won no titles, made no All-Star Game appearances, nor claimed any MVP awards.
Why does playing for Germany bring out the best in the point guard from Braunschweig?
Why have other EuroBasket and FIBA World Cup MVPs gone on to become NBA All-Stars and play pivotal roles on championship-contending teams - while Dennis Schröder hasn’t been on the same path?
The list is impressive: Pau Gasol (World Cup MVP 2006, EuroBasket MVP in 2009 and 2015), Tony Parker (EuroBasket MVP 2013), and Dirk Nowitzki (World Cup MVP 2002) all had defining careers in the NBA. FIBA stars like Franz Wagner, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo also perform at an elite level in the league.
So, why is Schroder so much better in international basketball than in the NBA?
First - and very importantly - Schroder takes enormous pride in representing Germany. National pride has a history of elevating players' games. Two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo expressed this sentiment after Greece’s win over Finland in the EuroBasket 2025 Third Place Game: "I know I have won an NBA championship, but there is no feeling like representing your national team and representing 12 million people that breathed and lived this national team."
Former USA Basketball Head Coach Gregg Popovich also acknowledged this phenomenon during preparations for the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Known for building international-heavy rosters in San Antonio, Popovich said:
"I think that our opinion has been all along that all these players from overseas that play in the NBA are obviously good players or they wouldn’t be there.
When they play for their countries, they become superheroes
"But when they play for their countries, we like to say that they become superheroes. They get together and, through their relationships and their views about their game, they just form a team that – they fall in love with each other, they enjoy playing with each other. And that goes across the board for everybody that’s in the tournament, and you can see that.
"A lot of them have grown up together, and a lot of them have spent a lot of time playing together, and you can see that, and it shows."
Captain Dennis, who has said he wants to represent Germany every summer until he’s 40, fits that description perfectly.
But in Schroder’s case, there’s something more.
Dennis Schroder elevates his game with Germany because he’s the leader — a role he has fully embraced since former head coach Gordie Herbert put him clearly in the driver’s seat ahead of EuroBasket 2022.
During their very first face-to-face meeting, shortly after Herbert was named national team coach, he quickly realized the importance of empowering Schroder.
"I really felt a kid who had heart to play for the national team," Herbert said to basketnews. "I never knew this about Dennis before and right then, I said this is a kid who could be a captain for us, who could lead us where we need to go...
I really felt for us to be an elite national team, we needed Dennis to lead the way
"I really felt for us to be an elite national team, we needed Dennis to lead the way."
Schroder remained captain this summer under new head coach Alex Mumbru, continuing to display what sets him apart in international play: mental toughness, elite court vision, infectious charisma, a fearless attitude - and perhaps most importantly, the clutch gene.
He scored crucial baskets late in the thrilling EuroBasket Final against Türkiye. First, a daring left-handed layup banked high off the glass. Then, a smooth dribble move into a free-throw line jumper - the exact shot he nailed two years ago to seal the FIBA World Cup Semi-Final against Team USA. Another thriller. Another cold-blooded finish.
Being clutch is very different from simply being good. Clutch moments aren’t about your objective skill level - they’re about decision-making under pressure, emotional control, and embracing responsibility. Many great players shrink in those moments, make poor decisions, "choke" or simply avoid the spotlight.
Dennis Schroder may not be one of the top 30 most gifted players in the world, but he has consistently proven that, when the stakes are highest, he can deliver like the very best.
But to be that guy in crunch time - to have the ball in your hands - you first need to earn that role.
And in the NBA, Schroder simply isn’t good enough to be the man. He’s not a franchise player. He’s not the No. 1 option. In a league where nearly every team features at least one All-NBA-level talent, Schroder doesn’t have the same margin for error, nor the offensive license to take over.
Put plainly: Schroder is not NBA franchise-player material. He doesn’t command the ball or the system the way he does for Germany.
And without that central role, the qualities that make him shine for the national team - leadership, freedom, confidence - are less visible. When he’s coming off the bench for limited minutes in the NBA, he simply can’t bring the same version of himself to the court.
Worse, his flaws become more pronounced. He can be turnover-prone. His outside shooting can be streaky. These issues exist in international play too, of course, but Germany can absorb them because they’re offset by his broader impact.
In the NBA, where efficiency is everything and roles are more rigid, those same weaknesses become liabilities.
With Germany, Dennis Schroder is a different beast.
"Whenever he has Germany's jersey on, he's 'Mr Reliable'," said Isaac Bonga, the EuroBasket 2025 Final Player of the Game.
"And the way he's helped me personally, becoming a better basketball player, helping basketball Germany get better, it's special ... at this point, we just have to say, 'Thank you, Dennis.'"
Germany have plenty of talent and experience. In addition to Bonga, the roster includes Schroder’s close friend Daniel Theis, rising star Franz Wagner, his Orlando Magic teammates Tristan da Silva and Moritz Wagner, sharpshooter Andreas Obst, floor general Maodo Lo, and versatile big man Johannes Thiemann. (Moritz Wagner was sidelined this summer due to injury.)
Since stepping into the leadership role, Schroder has consistently brought out the best in those around him. He’s been the emotional and tactical engine of this golden generation.
Of course, many players have different roles for their national teams than they do in the NBA. The personnel is different, and so is the context. In FIBA, where single-elimination games and short tournaments make every possession count, it’s invaluable to have a point guard like Schroder — fearless, decisive, and unshaken, regardless of the opponent or the defender in front of him.
A true FIBA MVP.
FIBA