Lakers News: Dennis Schröder Going Under Knife For Thumb Injury
The 2022-23 regular season hasn't even kicked off yet, but your Los Angeles Lakers are already going to be without a major piece for an extended period of time.
L.A. head coach Darvin Ham has revealed that reserve point guard Dennis Schröder's thumb injury is going to keep him sidelined longer than was initially anticipated.
Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, Ham reports that Schroder will need to have surgery to repair his injured thumb ligament, and will be unavailable for 3-4 weeks. Dave McMenamin of ESPN suggests that Schroder already had the surgery. Either way, he's going to be shelved during a critical juncture for Los Angeles, as the team looks to start the regular season on a more positive note than it managed to last year.
This is not an insignificant blow for the Lakers, though the team does actually have a fairly deep reserve of guards, especially point guards.
McMenamin adds that Russell Westbrook's status is still day-to-day, as he continues to rehabilitate the sore left hamstring that compelled him to depart the Lakers' preseason finale, a brutal 133-86 shellacking at the hands of the Sacramento Kings. That exhibition contest marked the first game where the $47.1 million point guard came off the bench, the role that probably suits him best at this moment of the 33-year-old's career.
With both players possibly out tomorrow for L.A.'s first game that counts, against the much-better Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles will most likely start either Patrick Beverley, Kendrick Nunn, or Austin Reaves at the point.
Beverley on paper makes the most sense, as an above-average two-way player who can function as a secondary facilitator alongside do-everything All-NBA small forward LeBron James. Beverley can nail a catch-and-shoot three and is an adept perimeter defender, even at the advanced NBA age of 34. The youngest and biggest player of the three, the 6'5" Reaves, was a below-average three-point shooter during his rookie 2021-22 season, but appears to be a solid passer and defender. Nunn is a reliable three-point shooter and finisher, but a below-average defender.
