By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
German point guard Dennis Schroder suited up despite the left ankle sprain and provided a big boost to the Boston Celtics in the win against his previous team, the Los Angeles Lakers Friday evening.
“It was cool,” he replied to a question regarding his personal view on facing the Boston historic rival, “We competed out there. Luckily, we won the game. Now, we got to focus on OKC.”
Schroder, 28, was injured during the third quarter of Wednesday’s visit at the Atlanta Hawks. Saturday’s home fixture versus the Oklahoma City Thunder completes the three-game series of games against former teams. However, being available to play against the Lakers was of added significance.
“I twisted my ankle pretty bad in the Atlanta game,” he pointed out following the contribution of 21 points, six assists, and six rebounds to the win opposite his previous side, “But I had to be here for this one. I made it work.”
The 2020-21 stint at the Lakers generated 15.4 points, 5.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per contest in the Regular Season. He dropped to 14.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.0 steals per match in the Playoffs as his side was eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in six games. Despite starting in all 67 appearances between the Regular Season and the Playoffs, he was considered as an underperformer in the postseason. The storied franchise eventually opted to move on and brought in Russell Westbrook to replace him during the offseason.
As an unrestricted free agent, Schroder joined the Celtics on a one-year $5.9 million contract, a massive downgrade compared to the four-year $70 million contract penned back in 2016. Looking to get back on track, he has started the 2021-22 season with 17.0 points, 5.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game, becoming a starter for Ime Udoka after Jaylen Brown was forced to the sidelines with a hamstring injury.
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