Lakers News: Dennis Schröder Happy To Be Back In LA, No Matter The Role

And LA fans are happy to have him.

Elliott Teaford of The Orange County Register recently took a look at Los Angeles Lakers point guard Dennis Schröder's transition to the bench, and how that didn't seem to shake his confidence much at all in LA's first (and only) play-in game of the season, a 108-102 overtime win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

“Whatever the team needs right now, I just try to get it done,” Schröder said of his move to the bench. “I didn’t even know before I got here. I see my name, that I’m not starting. End of the day, to play with those guys is easy, whether I’m coming off the bench or I’m starting. So, we are just competing on the highest level. We showed it again, and I’m glad we got the win.”

The 29-year-old scored 21 points while shooting 5-of-12 from the field (including 3-of-4 from deep) and a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe. The most critical field goal Schröder notched was a clutch corner triple off a LeBron James drive-and-dish with 1.3 seconds remaining in regulation. It would have been 

Head coach Darvin Ham applauded the 6'3" reserve guard's performance Tuesday, where he was one of the most valuable players on the floor, stepping up for starter D'Angelo Russell, who had a terrible scoring night, going just 1-for-9 from the field for two points (although he had eight dimes).

“Yeah, man, the kid is just – his heart, his competitive spirit, just his ability to make big plays and take tough matchups in the biggest of moments, his attitude, his confidence,” Ham said Tuesday. “He’s unbelievable, extraordinary.”

Does Schröder''s excellent performance Tuesday night -- and Russell's poor one -- mean we could see a shifting of the deck chairs at some point in this impending first round series against the Memphis Grizzlies? Probably not, but if Schröder stays hot and D-Lo stays cold, it could at least signify a shift in minutes allocation.

Schröder signed a one-year deal with LA on the veteran's minimum, worth $2,641,682, over the summer. The team possesses his Non-Bird Rights, meaning they can ink him to a deal worth 120% of this year's money in free agency. Should Schröder continue to play this well throughout the postseason, he may become a bit pricier than LA would prefer.

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