There appears to be little love lost between former Los Angeles Lakers teammates Dennis Schröder and D’Angelo Russell. The two were each key parts of the Lakers’ run to the Western Conference Finals in 2023. Los Angeles ultimately fell in a (tight) four-game sweep, to the eventual league-champion Denver Nuggets.
Per Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Russell blames Schröder’s tight friendship with head coach Darvin Ham as a directly obstructive impediment in Russell’s own ability to foster a workable dynamic last season. Russell, LA’s starting point guard for much of last year (and this year), struggled to develop a consistent shooting rhythm throughout the playoffs, but his offense cratered so terribly in the WCF series that his backup, Schröder, was given more minutes and, eventually, his starting job. Schröder is a far better point-of-attack defender, and he is less prone to turnover issues.
“(Schröder’s) relationship with Darvin is the reason I couldn’t have a relationship with Darvin,” Russell said. “When I was struggling, I would’ve been able to come to the coach and say, ‘Bro, this is what we should do. Like, I can help you.’ Instead, there was no dialogue. … I just accepted it… And we got swept and I’m here and he’s not. And I like our chances.”
Schröder, now with the Brooklyn Nets, rebuked this claim, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “I don’t understand it,” Schröder commented. “But at the end of the day, it just shows off immaturity. You’re not really mature if you’re just keeping somebody’s name in his mouth and just running it. I don’t understand.”
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Ham himself weighed in later. According to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, he claimed that his bond with Russell “is in a great place.” Ham added, “We have great conversations… Great text exchanges after games. During the game our in-game conversations… It’s tough. That’s why the phrase is called ‘building a relationship.'”
Schröder departed the team in free agency last summer. He inked a two-year, $25.4 million agreement with the Toronto Raptors. Los Angeles team president/general manager Rob Pelinka replaced him with ex-Miami Heat point guard Gabe Vincent. Vincent has been shelved for much of the year, only appearing in five contests overall due to a left knee effusion. He’s currently recuperating from a surgery to address the issue, but for now his role has essentially been replaced by buyout market signing Spencer Dinwiddie.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.