Despite being shorthanded in the past week, the Los Angeles Lakers have managed to string together some strong performances to keep them in the race for one of the Play-In Tournament spots.
The Lakers have been without LeBron James and D’Angelo Russell, who are dealing with foot and ankle injuries, respectively, leaving the team to heavily lean on Anthony Davis. However, it isn’t just Davis who’s been carrying the weight as Dennis Schroder has also stepped up in his teammates’ absences.
With James and Russell both out, Schroder is one of the last true playmakers and ballhandlers on the roster and Davis admitted that he’s had to assume a larger burden in the interim although praised him for doing so while being injured himself.
“A lot of pressure on him right now. I mean, he’s our primary ballhandler. We’re missing our two in LeBron [James] and DLo. Guys are trying to pick him up full court, but he’s finding a way to navigate it. I’m not sure if his ankle is still bothering him or not, but he’s very tough. … He knows what’s at stake. He wants to get to the playoffs. He wants to win. So by any means, he’s going to go out there and give it a go, and at this point in the season, I think everybody is playing with a little something. Hats off to him. He’s been a huge part for us this entire season.”
Schroder has done well to pick up the offensive slack for the Lakers and is even playing through an injury of his own. The guard looked like he seriously hurt his ankle in the win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, but said he’s willing to do anything he can to help the team win. So far it doesn’t look like his sprain is affecting his play too much, though it can’t be easy for him to keep playing so many minutes on it.
At this point of the season, no one is truly healthy but Schroder gutting things out has helped the purple and gold stay afloat. Hopefully he’s able to keep his strong play as of late up until reinforcements arrive.
Darvin Ham reveals Dennis Schroder told him he wanted to make it right with Lakers
Schroder’s first stint with the Lakers didn’t go according to plan, but he has managed to win back the fanfare of Lakers Nation this year. In fact, Ham revealed that a driving motivator for Schroder to return to Los Angeles was to make things right.
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