NBA Rumors: Anthony Davis was frustrated that Dennis Schroder didn't set him up well in the post as Rajon Rondo did
NBA rumors have popped up regarding the relationship between Anthony Davis and Dennis Schroder on Wednesday. It has been suggested that the former LA Lakers teammates had on-court issues last season.
Based on a report from Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, Anthony Davis wasn’t as happy with Schroder as he was with Rajon Rondo for one simple reason.:
“Per an NBA source familiar with some of the Lakers' struggles through the 2020-21 campaign, Davis felt some frustration that he wasn't getting the kind of looks in the post with Dennis Schroder running the point compared to those he received with Rondo a year earlier,” Pincus wrote.
“That may have contributed to the Lakers choosing not to re-sign Schroder, who struggled to find a home in free agency before taking a one-year, $5.9 million contract with the Boston Celtics.”
As versatile as Anthony Davis is, like most big men, he wants to get his touches in the post when he can get them. The LA Lakers forward is quick enough to take advantage of a bigger but slower opponent on his way to the basket, and he can shoot over a smaller, though faster, foe in the post too.
Anthony Davis’ 2020-21 campaign was derailed by various injuries, causing him to miss 36 games in the regular season. He clearly didn’t spend enough time on the court with Schroder to develop better chemistry.
NBA Rumors: Anthony Davis’ issue with Dennis Schroder confirmed?
Though many NBA rumors don't always turn out to be true, the lack of harmony on the court between Anthony Davis and Dennis Schroder may have been confirmed by a quote from the latter during the season.
Harrison Faigen of SB Nation pointed out in a tweet that Anthony Davis complained to Dennis Schroder about not getting the touches that late acquisition Damian Jones received.
“He looked at me and was like, ‘Why you can’t do that with me?’” Schroder said back in March. “I mean, we’re still trying to figure it out. I think when he comes back, me, I’m going to put more pressure on me to find him even more for the lobs because I think nobody can really stop that.”
Credit Schroder for not taking it personally when Davis said that and how he vowed to do better once his All-Star teammate returned from injury. Perhaps that wasn’t as big an issue between the two LA Lakers players as was made out to be.
But with the LA Lakers crashing out in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs, Dennis Schroder’s time in Los Angeles isn’t as well-remembered as it perhaps could have been.
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