Outside of Jimmy Butler's hair, there aren't usually many surprises on NBA media day. It's literally a day for the media to talk to players, coaches, and front office staff about the coming season.
By the time media day comes around, all the big trades and signings are done. The only major contract left by this year's media day was Jonathan Kuminga's, and that's finally been settled. For now, at least. Only time will tell if Kuminga's issues playing for the Warriors have been solved.
There's usually some buzz around final training camp rosters. Some players give some exceptionally memorable soundbites, such as DeMar DeRozan for the Kings this year.
One surprise was who some of the Kings' front office and coaching staff really locked in on. A specific player was a huge topic of conversation, and everyone seemed to be happy about him.
Welcome to the Kings, Dennis Schroder
The German baller made his media day debut with the Kings. Sacramento traded for him over the summer with designs on him being the new starting point guard for the team.
All of that will depend on how things go during training camp. There aren't a lot of options at that position on the roster, particularly with Schroder's experience. Still, there are choices to be made.
The Kings do have some depth at point guard with Malik Monk on the roster. He did start in the position a few times after the departure of De'Aaron Fox, but it wasn't a great fit. Monk is better off the bench than in the starting lineup as a general rule.
As such, having Dennis Schroder on the roster has been met with positivity by the Kings going into the 2025-2026 season. This only improved after his EuroBasket performance.
Schroder dominates at EuroBasket
Part of the Kings' front office being so high on Schroder at media day was due to EuroBasket. He led the German team to the gold medal while taking MVP honors home for himself. More than that, his whole performance during the tournament was deemed by many to be Hall of Fame worthy.
Schroder's FIBA success has given the Kings' front office plenty of reason to be positive going into the season. De'Aaron Fox heading to the Spurs was a huge loss.
After the EuroBasket victory, there was a real feeling that Schroder could step in and pick up where Fox left off. He would do it his way, of course. Still, Schroder felt like the man for the job.
Hopefully, the season works out that way. Schroder has sometimes struggled with locker room relationships as well as translating his FIBA success to the NBA. This might be the season when everything finally clicks, which would be great for the Kings.