Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dennis Schroder had two separate stints with the Los Angeles Lakers, and he threw shade at one of his former teammates during an appearance on the Golden Hoops Podcast. Schroder was asked if he had ever come across a player who wasn’t cut for the playoffs during his career, and he feels he played alongside one on the Lakers.
“There was definitely a player I played with for one season in L.A. who just wasn’t made for the playoffs,” Schroder said.
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Schroder did not name the player out of respect, but NBA fans think he was referring to D’Angelo Russell, whom he played with on the Lakers in the 2022-23 season.
“DLo for sure,” one fan is convinced this is Russell.
“DLo obviously, bro, choked against Denver,” a fan pointed to Russell’s struggles against the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 playoffs.
“DLo bro, we all know this, we were beating Miami again,” another pointed to the Lakers-Nuggets Western Conference Finals series in 2023.
“Big DLo fan for years, my first thought was DLo tho,” even a Russell fan believes Schroder was talking about him.
“Talking about himself for sure,” one fan ruthlessly stated that Schroder was referring to himself.
Neither Schroder nor Russell covered themselves in glory as the Denver Nuggets swept the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. The latter had played well in the lead-up to that series, but then completely fell apart.
Russell averaged 6.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game against the Nuggets. He was extremely inefficient, too, shooting 32.3% from the field and 13.3% from beyond the arc. Russell was playing so poorly that he was taken out of the starting lineup for Game 4.
Schroder got to start in his place in that do-or-die clash. The German would score 13 points, but shot 5-13 from the field as the Lakers were knocked out of the playoffs. Schroder would finish the series with averages of 7.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. He was more efficient than Russell, shooting 36.7% from the field and 38.5% from beyond the arc, but that’s not saying much, is it?
Schroder, who also played for the Lakers in 2020-21, left for the Toronto Raptors in free agency after the season. Russell remained with the team, and he’d get a chance at redemption as they faced the Nuggets in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. He fared better the second time around, but still wasn’t anywhere near his best.
Russell averaged 14.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game as the Nuggets won 4-1. He infamously went scoreless in their Game 3 loss, and it was only a matter of time before the Lakers parted ways with him.
Russell was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in December 2024. He’d then sign with the Dallas Mavericks in July 2025, only to be traded to the Washington Wizards in February 2026. The Wizards did not ask Russell to report following the move, and it’s unclear what the future holds for him now.
As for Schroder, he has bounced around a fair bit since leaving the Lakers. The 32-year-old has now settled into a backup role with the Cavaliers, and is averaging 8.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game for them in 2025-26.
