Dennis Schroder and D’Angelo Russell were once close teammates, as they shared the backcourt for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2022/23 season. It was a successful campaign that ended in an unfortunate sweep at the hands of the Nuggets.
In an interview with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin , Russell threw veiled shots at his former backcourt partner. He spoke about the tension between himself, Dennis, and head coach Darvin Ham. It led to a puzzled Schroder to respond.
“I don't understand it. 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,” Schroder said before the game against Indiana.
Dennis is a good teammate
Despite the accusations that D’Lo is levying against his former teammate, Schroder has shown that he’s a fantastic teammate to have. Even in his short spell with the Nets, he has stepped up as a leader and a mentor to some of the Nets’ younger players.
Schroder can be blunt sometimes but always comes from a good place. The German guard wants his team to win games by doing everything he can to help his squad.
Unfortunately, during that Nuggets series, it’s easy to see why the Lakers’ players would be in a bad mood, considering they got swept but only lost the series by an average of 6.5 points per game.
D’Angelo was also one of the worst-performing players of that series, so having that kind of performance would enrage any player, and he would look for people to blame, like what D’Lo did to Dennis.
It’s all in the past
Dennis has played in Toronto and Brooklyn since then, and he’s moved past his relationship with Russell. It was a wholesome partnership before, but fans did not know what happened behind the scenes.
Unfortunately, Dennis and D’Angelo’s partnership ended this way, but it’s a regular occurrence in professional sports. Not everyone will get along, and the brotherhood between these two guards can fade.
Hopefully, the two guards can patch it all up because it was a genuine partnership. Coach Ham should also play a part in that, but it’s also fair if they don’t get along anytime soon.
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