Dennis Schroder slams D'Angelo Russell's comments on Darvin Ham as 'immature'

ESPN's Dave McMenamin wrote an article wherein he quoted D'Angelo Russell, who claimed that Dennis Schroder was the reason why he couldn't establish a bond with LA Lakers head coach Darvin Ham. According to Russell, this resulted in him getting fewer minutes during the postseason last year. Schroder has certainly heard what Russell had to say and has fired back.

For this to make sense, we need to rewind to last season when Schroder and Russell were both part of the LA Lakers' roster. Due to them sharing the same position, one had to sit on the bench while the other played.

During the Conference Finals, Schroder was given more minutes than Russell, which may have prompted the latter's statements. Here is what Schroder had to say in response to that.

"I don't understand it," Schroder said (via New York Post). "But at the end of the day, it just shows off immaturity. You're not really mature if you're just keeping somebody's name in his mouth and just running it. I don't understand."

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Dennis Schroder, who has moved on from LA by signing with the Toronto Raptors before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets, will get a chance to face off against D'Angelo Russell and his former team at the end of March.

This turn of events could lead to a big personal rivalry and we'll get to see its next chapter soon when the Nets battle the Lakers.

Also read: Darvin Ham admits 'love and care' for Dennis Schroder after D'Angelo Russell's revelation

D'Angelo Russell vs. Dennis Schroder's stats and production last season for the LA Lakers

Dennis Schroder signed a one-year deal with the LA Lakers prior to the start of the 2022-23 season. He started 50 of the 66 games he played, showing that he was trusted by Darvin Ham.

He also averaged 30.1 minutes in those 66 games and was quite reliable on offense, averaging 12.6 points and 4.5 assists while shooting 41.5 percent from the field.

D'Angelo Russell, on the other hand, joined the Lakers right at the 2023 trade deadline. He was given a huge role upon his arrival, playing in just 17 regular season games for LA but starting in each one. He averaged 30.9 minutes and outperformed Schroder by averaging 17.4 points and 6.1 assists while shooting 48.4% from the field.

In the first two rounds of the 2023 playoffs, Russell remained as the Lakers' starter. Things only began to shift when they faced the Denver Nuggets. He still started in three of their four games, while Dennis Schroder only saw two starts.

However, Russell only averaged 23.5 minutes per game in the Western Conference Finals while Schroder averaged 31.2. Neither player had as much of an impact, with Schroder and Russell only averaging 7.0 and 6.3 points per game, respectively.