Dennis Schroder injury update: Lakers star to miss start of 2022 season due to thumb surgery

The Los Angeles Lakers‘ regular season in 2022–23 hasn’t even begun yet, and they’re already losing important players to injuries. Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Lonnie Walker IV, and Troy Brown Jr. all missed time during the preseason because they were sick. It looks like only Troy Brown Jr. will miss games during the regular season.

Dennis Schroder has also been absent from the Lakers for most of camp due to problems obtaining a visa to return from Germany and the EuroBasket summer tournament. Schroder only played a few minutes in his first regular-season game back with the Lakers before getting hurt himself. The point guard required a procedure that would keep Schroder out for at least the first month of the season, according to the Lakers’ analysis of his different tests.

It’s not ideal that Schroder could miss a month of activity, but it appears that the Lakers averted the worst with this injury, which is both good and terrible news for them. The Lakers were reportedly worried that Schroder had sustained a long-term injury, according to an earlier story.

The Lakers’ strong guard presence on the roster means that even without Schroder, they can still field a backcourt rotation that includes Westbrook, Walker, Austin Reaves, Patrick Beverley, and Kendrick Nunn.

Anthony Davis and Schroder are now teammates for the second time, and Davis is well aware of the value he will offer the Lakers, particularly on defense. After a recent session, the Lakers forward remarked, “He’s fantastic on the ball.” With him and in that backcourt defensively, that is what he contributes. “Even today, on the first day of practice, we all took three dribbles and we had to give it up.” 

“Those two guys can contain the ball, but Pat will get upset because he names himself Mr. 94. He gives our team a new dynamic.”

Schroder averaged 13.5 points and 4.6 assists per game for the Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets in a combined 64 games in 2021–22 after signing a one-year, $2.6 million contract this offseason. He averaged 15.4 points on 43.7 percent shooting, 5.8 assists, and other stats in his final season with the Lakers.

 

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