NBA fans must certainly want to know why Dennis Schroder decided to leave LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers by taking his talents to the Toronto Raptors. This has been quite an offseason for the 29-year-old point guard. He managed to help Team Germany win the 2023 FIBA World Cup and brought honor to his nation.
Although Schroder isn’t considered one of the best point guards in the league, he has proven himself to be quite dependable and reliable in recent times. During his stints with the Lakers, fans were able to see that he had built quite a relationship with LeBron James.
With that being said, many of us might want to know why he decided to leave the Lakers and join the Toronto Raptors. After all, he has a much better chance of winning a championship alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis as opposed to Pascal Siakkam and OG Anunoby. Let us take a closer look and find out why he made the decision to become a part of the Raptors.
What led Dennis Schroder to join the Toronto Raptors?
Schroder is currently entering his 11th season in the NBA. Fans will remember that he has been on several teams such as the Atlanta Hawks, OKC Thunder, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. Throughout his NBA career so far, Dennis has averaged 12.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
Despite putting up similar respectable numbers with the Lakers, Schroder decided to move on and sign with the Raptors. During an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, he revealed what convinced him to join the Toronto Raptors.
“Darko, the head coach, this is his first year as a head coach as well… I met him I think 5 years ago in OKC. We became friends and I liked how he was coaching myself and the team. He called me right away when he took over and I definitely said to my agent that I wanna be there and be a part of that and I think it’s a great fit. To play like the national team type, handle the ball a little more, go out and run on the defensive end…. it’s a great fit.”
“I think Darko [Rajakovic], the head coach… I met him 5 years ago in OKC. We became friends… I definitely said to my agent, ‘I want be there.’ … I think it’s a great fit.”
Dennis Schroder on why he left the Lakers for the Raptors this summer.pic.twitter.com/fQMqTW7akX
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 13, 2023
It turns out that Schroder had no disrespect or bad feelings towards the Lakers or LeBron James. Instead, he decided to partner up with a head coach that he respected on the Raptors. Los Angeles also had no problem losing Schroder since they have D’Angelo Russell playing the same position. We look forward to seeing how Dennis does with the Raptors next season.