Lakers point guard Dennis Schroder suffered a finger injury, leaving his availability for the season opener in doubt, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Schroder, 28, is 6-foot-3 and returned to the Lakers in free agency after a season away, and may be in line for the starting job. As we relayed here, Lakers coach Darvin Ham is exploring the idea of bringing Russell Westbrook off the bench, opening the door for Schroder or Patrick Beverley.
Schroder’s return is still to be determined, as he is undergoing testing on the extent of the injury, per Charania.
He appeared in 14 games with the Rockets to finish last season, appearing in 49 with the Celtics before that, averaging 14.4 points and 4.2 assists.
At any rate, Ham is exploring different lineups, as the Lakers aim to bounce back from a 33-49 season.
“It’s different combinations of seeing different guys play together,” Ham said, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “You have to prepare yourself. You got to get out in front of the fact that there’s going to be injuries. We don’t want them to happen. We don’t want them to happen to any of our guys, let alone our main guys.
“You just have to prepare yourself and be at the forefront of that by plugging in different lineups, different players and different positions so that when that day comes you feel a little bit more prepared.”
Schroder has also spent time with the Hawks and Thunder since entering the NBA in 2013. Originally drafted by Atlanta out of Germany with the No. 17 overall pick, he carries career averages of 14.2 points and 4.7 assists.
Hoops Wire will have updates on Schroder as they become available.
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