When Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham was assembling his coaching staff, it was clear he valued having working relationships in place with the people he hired.
The same can now be extended to the roster as the Lakers brought back Dennis Schroder on a one-year deal. Schroder was with the Lakers during the 2020-21 season but actually spent time with Ham during his tenure with the Atlanta Hawks.
Despite a disappointing 2021-22 campaign for Schroder, his performance with Germany in this year’s EuroBasket tourney caught Ham’s eye and proved to be a driving factor in his re-signing. On the flip side, Schroder revealed the opportunity to play for Ham again was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
“That was the main reason, to be honest,” Schroder said. “I was with him in 2013 when I got drafted in Atlanta and he’s been nothing but great to me. Learning from him over the years, staying in touch, he had a camp in Germany where I came to support him. I call him family and he knows that so whatever it takes to win a ballgame, I’ll do it.”
Having someone like Schroder who has previous experience working with Ham should only help the team, and it may even give the guard a leg up when it comes to fighting for minutes in what’s shaping up to be a crowded backcourt rotation. Despite his down year, Schroder is still very much capable of penetrating defenses with his speed and either finishing at the rim or finding teammates along the perimeter.
So far in the preseason, the Lakers have been emphasizing shots in the paint and beyond the arc, so Schroder should fit right into their offensive scheme.
On the defensive side of the ball, Schroder is also familiar with the coverages Ham is trying to implement and if he excels on that end, he could be in line for a large role. On a minimum deal, Schroder could be a value signing for L.A. and hopefully his second go-around goes much better than the first one.
Dennis Schroder says Lakers never offered contract extension
Schroder was the butt of numerous jokes when he reportedly turned down a lucrative contract extension from the Lakers. However, he recently said that a deal was never offered, but did reiterate he was happy to be back.
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