The Los Angeles Lakers lost their opening game, but guard Dennis Schroder showed why he’s a versatile addition for the defending champions.
The former Oklahoma City Thunder guard, who was traded to the Lakers this offseason, nearly posted a triple-double in his first game in purple and gold.
Schroder had 14 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in the Lakers 116-106 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. He only had one turnover in 28 minutes.
If there is something negative to be said about him, it’s that he struggled to get his shot to drop. He went just 5-for-15 from the field and only hit three shots inside the arc.
He will look to get those numbers up down the road. Last year, he shot 46.9% from the field and 38.5% from 3, both of which were career-highs.
The Thunder exchanged Schroder for the No. 28 draft pick and Danny Green. They used the pick in a package to trade for the draft rights to No. 17 selection Aleksej Pokusevski, and traded Green to the Philadelphia 76ers in a package centered around Al Horford and draft capital. One of those Sixers picks was the rights to Theo Maledon.
OKC got to watch Schroder on TNT on Tuesday, the first night of the NBA season. The Thunder’s first game will tip off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday against the Houston Rockets.
