Many believe that the Los Angeles Lakers have a steep uphill climb ahead of them following LeBron James' foot injury. After all, James despite being 38 years of age, remains one of the best players in the league. Losing a player of his caliber will always make the life of any team difficult, more so the Lakers, who remain below .500 on the season.
What the Lakers need amid James' absence is determination and grit; they will need to play with more desire to win than their opposition if they were to rescue their uneven 2022-23 campaign. And Dennis Schroder showed a willingness to do just that after willing the shorthanded Lakers to a 123-117 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night.
Schroder had a big night; he scored 26 and dropped six dimes to lead the way. However, his big game didn't come without its problems. Schroder injured his ankle in the first quarter, and yet he still managed to play 37 minutes to lead either team. Showing the heart of a champion, the 29-year old point guard expressed his eagerness to do whatever it takes to help the Lakers achieve their goals this season.
“Everything for the team. We're trying to get to the playoffs, AD was down tonight, LeBron is down. I just tried to help get a win for the team,” Schroder told Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet during his post-game interview.
"Everybody chippin' in… everybody just being competitive, playing together no matter what staying together." Dennis Schröder credits the whole team for the win and looks forward to heading back to LA. pic.twitter.com/grZUqaOLkm
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 2, 2023
At the end of the day, Dennis Schroder's efforts alone would not have been enough to net the Lakers the victory. Thus, Schroder was quick to credit his teammates for a solid, all-around effort worthy of playoff consideration.
“Everybody chippin' in… everybody just being competitive, playing together no matter what. Staying together. And we pulled out the win,” Schroder added.
Dennis Schroder also revealed how high the belief level is in the locker room that the revamped Lakers could manage to turn their season around despite LeBron James' absence. In fact, Schroder dropped a bold declaration that should be music to Lakers fans' ears.
“The goal was from the beginning of the season to make the playoffs. I think everybody in this locker room believes it. I believe it – 200 percent. We're going to make the playoffs.”
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