It took Dennis Schroder less than one game to endear him to Nets fans.
This was Schrader’s masterpiece. And it helped bring out the best in the Nets.
The newly acquired point guard made his Brooklyn debut on Saturday afternoon, inflicting a blowout 123-103 loss on visiting San Antonio, with a sold-out Barclays Center crowd of 18,005 screaming his name at the end of the outburst. is.
“My teammates made it easy for me,” Schröder said in an on-court television interview. “We had practice yesterday. Everyone talked to me and made it easier.”
The Nets (21-31) acquired Schroder from Toronto at the trade deadline in exchange for disgruntled starter Spencer Dinwiddie.
Two days later, he showed not only what he can do for them, but how much he has grown as a player.
Schröder came off the bench behind Ben Simmons and had 15 points and 12 assists in 27 impactful minutes.
This was the third-highest assist total off the bench in franchise history behind James Harden and Kevin Porter.
In his first visit to Brooklyn, generational phenom Victor Wenbanyama averaged 20.3 points and 10.1 rebounds, leading all rookies.
He scored 21 points, but the Nets held him to 7-of-16 shooting and just four boards.
And the Nets’ defense held down the hapless Spurs, shooting .396 percent and 11-of-34 from behind the basket.
They turned terrible entry passes into turnovers and fast breaks.
Schroder did the rest of the work, helping the Nets build a 28-point cushion.
Cam Thomas added a game-high 25 points and four assists, Simmons added a season-high 13 points, and center Nick Claxton (20 points, 11 rebounds) had his fifth 20/10 point performance of the season. .
