Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham announced at practice on Thursday that both point guard Dennis Schroder and big man Thomas Bryant will be probable for Friday night’s game against the Detroit Pistons while LeBron James is questionable. The Lakers later put out their injury report though and Schroder and Bryant were not on it, which means they’re good to go.
Both Schroder and Bryant have participated in practices in recent days and are now will make their regular season debuts with the Lakers on Friday night.
“They’ll be listed as probable but more than likely they’ll definitely be seeing floor time,” Ham said at practice. “But we’ll see, they had another good day. They’re stacking really good days consecutively and we’re just excited to have them back in the fold.”
While surely a coincidence, both Schroder and Bryant suffered thumb injuries and had to get surgery within days of each other. Considering they basically had the same injury, it makes sense that the recovery timetable was practically the same and now both are likely to return to the court together.
Schroder was one of the best players during the EuroBasket tournament during the offseason, leading Germany to an unexpected third-place finish. His speed allows him to attack the basket at will offensively where he can create for himself and others, while also making him an absolute pest on defense, capable of picking opposing guards up full court and hounding them for 94 feet.
Bryant is a high-energy big man who attacks the glass relentlessly but also has shown the ability to stretch the floor out to 3-point range. A torn ACL hampered the momentum he was building while with the Washington Wizards, but he gives the Lakers a much-needed big man option to potentially help lessen the load on Anthony Davis.
The return of both provides the Lakers with some depth that the team is in need of. Davis has been the lone big man for the most part so Bryant being around to bang with some of those physical bigs the league has to offer will help keep Davis fresh. Likewise Schroder provides a different look than any of the other current Lakers guards due to his speed and creation ability.
Ham has shown no hesitation in throwing players right out there if he feels they can make an impact so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see one or both getting some minutes when the Lakers take the court.
Meanwhile, James could also return for the Lakers on Friday after missing the last two games with a strained adductor. He is less likely to play than the other two although Ham said he looked good in practice on Thursday.
“LeBron looked great,” Ham added. “We didn’t have any contact today but he was moving around well. Running and jumping well, so we’ll see. He’ll be listed as questionable but we’ll see how the rest of the day goes and tomorrow goes leading up to the game.”
Ham was also asked if James needs a contact practice before being able to return and the head coach joked that he has been getting contact for 20 years in this league.
Thomas Bryant & Dennis Schroder look good in practice ahead of Lakers debut
Both Bryant and Schroder are drawing rave reviews in practice ahead of their season debut for the Lakers. Head coach Darvin Ham said the two look ‘really, really good’ while star big man Anthony Davis said they were ‘unbelievable’ before elaborating on what he saw from them.
“Dennis ran a lot of pick and rolls today where he made the right plays,” Davis said after practice. “Obviously, he had some turnovers trying to make the right reads, trying to get back to the swing of things. Thomas, energetic, physical… they both played really well today.”
Hopefully both will be able to make a positive impact and help the Lakers get back on track this season.
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