Los Angeles Lakers guard Dennis Schroder revealed that he’s dealing with Achilles soreness after he missed the team’s last game against the Phoenix Suns.
While the injury doesn’t seem too serious, it’s certainly something to monitor, especially if the Lakers end up in the league’s play-in tournament. Right now, Los Angeles is the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference.
Schroder, 29, has been a key piece for the Lakers this season, stepping up in a big way at points during the 2022-23 campaign when LeBron James and Anthony Davis were out of the lineup due to injury.
The Lakers are certainly hoping that he will be able to play in the postseason, and it’s possible that the team will rest him against the Utah Jazz in the final game of the regular season on Sunday.
This season, Schroder is averaging 12.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from beyond the arc.
The Lakers have relied heavily on Schroder, Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell as their top guards in their rotation over the final stretch of this season.
Prior to the Lakers trading for Russell at the trade deadline, Schroder had been a part of a veteran guard trio of himself, Patrick Beverley and Russell Westbrook. An underrated defender, Schroder is the only one who stuck around with the Lakers through the deadline.
Schroder came back to the Lakers in free agency this past offseason after spending last season with the Boston Celtics and the Houston Rockets.
While he’s taken on a smaller role than his first stint with the Lakers where he started every game he played in and played 32.1 minutes per game, Schroder’s veteran presence has been key for the team this season.
If Schroder misses more time, Malik Beasley and Lonnie Walker IV will likely have bigger roles for the Lakers on offense. Reaves has also stepped up in the second half of the season and could replace Schroder as a ball-handler in the rotation.
The Lakers and Jazz are scheduled to face off at 12:30 p.m. PST on Sunday, April 9.
