(The original text was published on January 5, and The author is Jovan Buha of The Athletic website. The content of The article does not represent The translator’s point of view)
In the fourth quarter, at 5 minutes 41 seconds, Schroder stepped on Adebayor’s foot during the breakthrough, limping behind him to the Lakers bench.
Lakers coach Ham called a pause to give the team a break and arranged the chief sports guard Roger Sancho to check Schroder’s ankle. Schroeder tried to endure the pain of his ankle and stay on the court to continue playing.
The Lakers had already lost the three strongest scorers in the team-James, Davis and Lonnie Walker, plus little Troy Brown’s left quadriceps pulled out of the game, so coach ham at this time wanted to protect Schroeder.
Coach Ham said to Schroeder, “If you are still limping, quit the competition.”
No! Let me stay on the court, I will be fine, coach, I can play well.” Ham recalled what Schroeder said.
Hamm was also willing to trust his starting point guard at this time and replied, “Well, I hope you’re okay.”
In the face of the fierce enemy, the Lakers who lack major generals need to get together. Schroeder said: “I will not only be fine, but also play very well.”
In the end, the Lakers defeated the Heat 112-109 at home and won the best victory this season. Schroeder did it and handed over the perfect answer sheet. In the fourth quarter, 14 points were scored, and the whole game scored 32 points of the new season. At the same time, there were 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals. The 40-minute appearance time was the highest in the whole game. When Schroeder was present, the Lakers scored 6 points in the heat.
Returning to Schroeder’s station on the court at freethrow line, the Lakers narrowed the score gap to 1 point. In the next round, Schroeder will catch three points again, and the Lakers will successfully surpass the score.
“This is why he came to the Lakers. His performance is phenomenal.” Coach Ham said.
The Lakers have achieved a record of 4-1 in the past five games, with a total record of 17-21. Since Davis’s right foot was injured, the Lakers’ record was 5-5, and the game of Davis’s retreat was 6-5. Most importantly, the Lakers are now only one victory away from the 10th jazz in the West.
Schroeder has scored double in four consecutive games and nearly 11 games and 8 games. He found the best state when he joined the Lakers for the first time in the 2020-21 season. Schroeder said that James’s absence did not have much influence on his mentality.
Schroeder said: “I mean, I will play more aggressive anyway. When Davis and James return, I will continue to do so and provide them with assistance. I played more aggressive in the away trip and the past few matches. I heard that James was ill tonight and Davis still couldn’t play. I think everyone needs to do more. This is what I thought before the match. Playing more aggressive, providing help to teammates, hitting inside and finding outside teammates, I kept the same aggressiveness throughout the game.”
After missing the first 13 games at the beginning of the season, Schroeder entered the first line of the Lakers in the fourth game. Since then, he has become a headache guy, and the attacking end has been exerting pressure on RIM with his speed and skills.
Schroeder was no longer the pure scorer when he played for the Lakers for the first time. This time he played more efficiently. The real field goal percentage increased from 54.3% to 57.5%, and he was better at finding his position in the attack. Compared with the 2020-21 season, Schroeder shot more accurately, with the two-point shooting rate increasing from 47.6% to 49.3%, and three-point shot percentage from 33.5% to 35.9%.
The main character of this game against the Heat is old Schroeder, and the Lakers have seen his elegant demeanour. Schroeder scored 9 points in the last 2 minutes 35 seconds of the game, and 9 points in the penalty line in the fourth quarter.
Coach Ham said about Schroeder’s fearless performance after the game: “As early as 2013, I fell in love with this tenacious young man when I was in Atlanta.”
Coach ham and Schroeder both joined the eagle in the summer of 2013. Ham joined coach Budenholzer’s team and had been the assistant coach of the Lakers since 2011-13. At the 2013 draft conference, Schroeder from Germany was selected by the eagle in the 17th order. After coming to the eagle, he has been playing a substitute for Jeff Teeger, competing with alouv and Shervin mark for playing time.
“Schroeder in the game, you can see his special features, his investment in the game, his competitive nature, he always shines at the critical moment.” Coach Ham said.
When Schroeder in the second grade participated in the summer league, he had a particularly close relationship with coach ham. Coach ham at that time was leading the team to play the summer league, and he encouraged young point guard Schroder to play more aggressive.
“He asked me to be myself.” Schroeder said.
Later coach ham went to the stag and Schroeder was in thunder. If the two teams wanted to play, ham and Schroeder would make sure they could have dinner the day before the match. The two often talked about what Ham would be like to be a coach, while Schroeder would say that he wanted to play for ham and be his point guard.
“This idea has never changed.” Schroeder recalled the time of the past few years.
Schroeder has been calling coach ham all summer, happy that Ham finally became the coach and proud of him. The two kept in touch. Ham’s familiarity with Schroeder and expectations played a key role in the 10-year veteran signing the Lakers.
Coach Ham is still one of the people who support Schroeder most, encouraging Schroeder to look for more opportunities and share the defensive pressure James, Davis and Wei seldom face.
“He always told me to be aggressive, even when James and Davis were present. Keep aggressive and do his job well. He has always said this to me. So I will continue to be aggressive and find my own role.” Schroeder said.
It is not clear when James, Davis and Lonnie Walker will return. The Lakers still have to worry about Schroeder’s health.
Schroeder said his ankle was “very painful now” and then added that he planned to receive treatment the next day and planned to play the eagle game.
“He is a crazy competitor, and tonight’s game can prove it.” Coach Ham said.
Further analysis, there are two reasons why the Lakers won the game incredibly.
First, the hot squad has been healthier and more cohesive recently, winning 8 of the past 12 games. With all efforts, the heat is still in the East and even one of the strongest teams in the league. It is profound to beat such a heat. In the game with the Lakers, the Heat often has the best 2-3 players on the court.
Second, the Lakers do not have the lineup of James and Davis, and have been hammered by opponents this season. According to data from the Glass website Cleaning, when the Lakers, the two super stars, were not present, the team lost 13.9 points to the opponent every hundred rounds. The Lakers’ winning rate is barely more than half this season when they own James and Davis. Without them, the Lakers are at a disadvantage facing most teams, even the bottom teams of the league.
But the Lakers surprised us to dispel this idea. Even if it was just a game, Schroeder and his perseverance made the Lakers look fresh.
“I have to tell coach Ham loudly that no matter what he said before I came, he did not live up to my expectations, so I love him.” Schroeder said.
Original: Jovan Buha
Compile: Li Taibai
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