Los Angeles Lakers reserve combo guard Dennis Schröder will not be available for tonight’s preseason finale in Sacramento.
Sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic that the 6’3″ vet has injured his finger, and may miss some regular season games next week. The team will run imaging on the damaged digit for the 29-year-old to determine the extent of the ailment and project how long he could be sidelined.
When Schröder does return, Los Angeles is hoping he can get back to the level of play he exhibited for the club during the 2020-21 season. Across 61 regular season contests with the Lakers, he averaged 15.4 points, 5.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals. He posted shooting splits of .437/.335/.848.
He split the 2021-22 NBA season between the Boston Celtics and the Houston Rockets on a $5.9 million mid-level exception deal. Following an exciting EuroBasket run this summer, Schroder inked a contract with Los Angeles for the veteran’s minimum.
Schröder will join power forward/center Anthony Davis, swingman Troy Brown Jr., and perhaps shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV on the sidelines for Los Angeles tonight. Lakers head coach Darvin Ham announced earlier today that Russell Westbrook, who had started all of the Lakers’ five previous preseason contests, would come off the bench tonight. Schröder could have been a candidate to start, though Patrick Beverley (this writer’s preference for the gig) and Kendrick Nunn have started prior preseason games as shooting guards.
