Nets' Dennis Schroder gets subjected to D'Angelo Russell's recent rant for Lakers HC Darvin Ham

DLo complained against Ham about his favoritism for Schroder during the 2023 West Finals with the Lakers.

© Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

As Dennis Schroder is calmly enjoying his new chapter in the Brooklyn Nets, his name was shockingly dragged by a former teammate.

D’lo tags Dennis in his rant vs. Darvin Ham

In a recent piece by Dave McMenamin of ESPN, D'Angelo Russell blamed Schroder for barring him from building a stronger bond and partnership with coach Darvin Ham from their last season's run in the Los Angeles Lakers. Russell specifically pointed at Dennis’s past working relationship with Ham, which hindered him from constructing momentum during the 2023 Western Conference Finals.

For context, Ham opted to provide Schroder plenty of runs over Russell during their seven-game series with the Denver Nuggets. As the team's third star behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis, D’lo notably struggled throughout the matchup, which ultimately resulted in reduced exposure and usage from the Lakers mentor.

"His relationship with Darvin is the reason I couldn't have a relationship with Darvin. When I was struggling, I would've been able to come to the coach and say, 'Bro, this is what we should do. Like, I can help you.' Instead, there was no dialogue. ... I just accepted it. And we got swept, and I'm here, and he's not. And I like our chances.”

Russell endured a rocky series by averaging 6.3 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.0 boards while tallying an embarrassing 32.3 percent shooting as he and the Lakers went to get swept by the eventual champion Nuggets.

Ham defended Schroder from Russell's bold accusations

As he had a chance to provide his answers to Russell's recent ranting, Ham cleared the air by revealing that his relationship with the Lakers guard was in a “great place.” He also explained his decision to stick around with Schroder in that series against the Nuggets.

“It doesn’t hit the ground running all the time smooth. Trying to figure things out on the fly. And yeah, Dennis is someone I love and care about. Dennis is a helluva player. But just trying to learn Lo on the fly and figure things out,” Ham explained.

Dennis’ response regarding this subtle jab thrown by D’lo against him is yet to be seen. But as it is, it's certainly intriguing to know what would be his honest reaction.

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