Following the Lakers’ 101-105 loss to the Bucks, the league suspended Dennis Schroder of the Kings for his altercation with Luka Doncic a few weeks ago. According to reports, Schroder called Doncic a “b***h” and attempted to strike him during a confrontation near the locker rooms in the back.
Before the Lakers’ upcoming fixture against the Kings tomorrow night, JJ Redick, their head coach, spoke to the media in the post-practice scrum where he was asked about the incident.
“It’s a league matter. So I don’t really have a comment on it,” said Redick. “There are very few things I’m not aware of,” he added after being asked about whether he knew about the incident before the league decided on it.
Schroder has been suspended for three games, including the matchup between the two sides that sparked the incident in the first place. Seems like a tactical decision from the league to avoid and de-escalate potential conflict.
According to ESPN’s NBA Insider Bobby Marks, the league is expected to impose a six-digit fine on Schroder, $291,807 to be exact, which is nearly 2% of his salary for this season ($14,104,000).
Schroder also took to social media after the decision was announced to the public. He reacted to a post from Shams Charania on Instagram where he emphasized the term “attempting” as if he was implying that he landed the blow or did not attempt to hit him at all.
View this post on Instagram
But considering that the leaked audio suggests Schroder making threats to Doncic during the game, and the Slovenian star brushing it off like he wasn’t serious, it is possible that Schroder swung at Doncic and, in fact, landed a blow that has led to this suspension.
JJ Redick also spoke to the media about Rui Hachimura, who is returning from a right-calf strain and could be available to play on Monday night against the Kings.
“He was able to do everything in practice today. He’s trending towards being able to play,” said Redick in an optimistic update. But he will likely be coming off the bench like Austin Reaves did when he came back from injury, Redick later confirmed.
Hachimura also anticipates that he will be available to play against the Kings. When asked about whether being an unrestricted free agent next season is influencing his decision to return sooner than expected, Hachimura had a solid answer.
“At the end of the day…I’m trying to help this team win. That’s the whole purpose of being here. I’ve been here four seasons, I think I’m one of the guys that’s been here the longest, too,” Hachimura said.
The Lakers (23-13) are at risk of being on a three-game losing streak in their next game against the Kings (8-30) on Monday. However, the opposition not having their star point guard and the team regaining some more depth with Hachimura is definitely a green flag for the Lakers.
