Dennis Schroder erupted with 32 points against the Heat, leading the Lakers to their third straight victory (112-109).
The 29-year-old German point guard stepped up in absence of Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Lakers head coach Darvin Ham, who first worked with Schroder during his rookie year in Atlanta, revealed a conversion that he had with the player during the Heat game after he rolled his ankle.
“Just a tenacious kid I feel in love back in Atlanta 2013 when he came in,” Ham said about Schroder. “His rookie year was our first year in Atlanta. You could he’s going to be special just because he put the work in and he was competitive and he always shined in big moments.
“He rolled his ankle, we got in a huddle and I told him ‘Man, if I see you limping, I’m taking you out.’ He said ‘No, leave me in the game, I’ll be aight coach, I’m good.’ I said ‘Well, be good,’ and he’s ‘I’m not gonna be good, I’m gonna be great’ was his exact words to me. That’s why he’s here. He was phenomenal, nothing short of phenomenal.”
This season Schroder is averaging 11.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 28.4 minutes per game.
