Lakers worried about long-term injury for new signing Dennis Schroder?

One player’s triumphant return to Los Angeles is hitting a pothole right out of the gate.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Friday that Lakers guard Dennis Schroder has suffered a finger injury, putting his status up in the air for the start of the regular season. Charania later added that there is some concern within the Lakers that Schroder could be dealing with “a long-term injury.”

Details remain scarce about the nature of Schroder’s injury and how he may have suffered it. But the 29-year-old just made his preseason debut against Minnesota on Wednesday after a visa issue briefly prevented him from returning to the United States. Schroder played only nine minutes and missed all four of his shots from the field.

After previously playing for the Lakers during the 2020-21 season, Schroder returned to the team on a one-year deal this offseason. The Lakers had some interesting plans for Schroder this season too. But for now, they will have to rely instead on their (fortunately very deep) backcourt unit also featuring the likes of Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley, and Kendrick Nunn.