The Dennis Schroder Show in Los Angeles got cancelled after just one season. Now Schroder is getting a bit candid about his time there.
The Boston Celtics guard spoke this week with Brian Robb of MassLive and made the surprising admission that he did not quite fit with the Lakers.
“To play with AD [Anthony Davis] and LeBron [James], it was an honor to play with them and see every single day how they work, how they do things on the court, off the court,” said Schroder. “It’s just a blessing, the reason I’m grateful that I’ve seen it. But for me, personally, it wasn’t the right fit.
“That’s the reason I was hesitating a little bit,” he went on. “The way I played is not how Dennis has played over his whole career in the NBA so that’s the reason I was like, ‘Okay, I have to see how it’s going next.’ That’s the reason why I even didn’t talk to the organization and said, ‘Listen, we can talk about [the contract] after the season. I want to concentrate during the season to finish it.’ Now, in the situation I’m in, I think I’m 100 percent comfortable so far. You feel the appreciation, you feel the organization is trying to help you, your family, your friends or whatever. It’s been great so far. I mean, this is all I wanted and I think we can accomplish something big here.”
Schroder earned a spot in the starting lineup with Davis and James on the Lakers. But with those two having such a high usage, Schroder managed just 15.4 points on 12.5 field goal attempts per game, his lowest averages since his early Atlanta days. The former first-round pick then left to sign with the Boston Celtics after the Lakers were eliminated in the first round.
Davis, in particular, was reportedly frustrated with Schroder’s style of play. While the Lakers gave up Danny Green and a first-round pick for Schroder, his time with the team ended up being a flop, as Schroder now admits.
Photo: Jan 15, 2020; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder (17) smiles during warm ups before a game against the Toronto Raptors at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
