The OKC Thunder media session for Tuesday featured Dennis Schroder who dropped big news.
Each day since the OKC Thunder all cleared the testing and exited quarantine the team has worked to get into their Disney bubble routine. That routine finds the players hitting the gym during their three-hour practice window. Most days the team has conducted full-contact scrimmages although one session was no contact.
It’s interesting the practice session timelines fluctuate daily and I’ve wondered how that process affects the players. Ask any player and they’ll point to ‘routine’ in their daily schedule as a key to their success. But with 22 teams in Orlando the practice schedule shifts daily.
One day they might be the first team scheduled early in the morning, and the next day they could be among the clubs last to hit the practice facility. It’s an interesting dynamic and one that could present problems for teams or players who are almost OCD about their schedules. Recalling the fall off in Russell Westbrook’s free throw efficiency, many believed the change to his routine was the primary issue.
Fortunately, the OKC Thunder appear to be the type of squad who roll with the punches and deal with adversity well, but it is worth keeping an eye on.
As has been the case each day since the OKC Thunder exited quarantine a player speaks to the media daily following practice. On Tuesday the player tapped to talk was Dennis Schroder who dropped a news bomb to the assembled virtual media crew.
Dennis Schroder meets with media
The big news offered from sixth man candidate Dennis Schroder is he will be leaving the bubble for the birth of his second child. His wife is due to deliver in three to four weeks. If the delivery follows that timeline it would mean Schroder would be out around the start of the eight seeding games.
Schroder said he’s working with the team on the semantics of leaving and returning. Under the NBA protocol players who leave the bubble with approval have a shorter quarantine stay upon return. He’ll be required to test negatively each day he is out of the bubble and upon return be in quarantine for four days producing negative test results each day. Players who leave without permission are in lockdown for more than double that time.
Schroder cont: “It’s a hard decision to make. I love my teammates. I love basketball. But family comes first. I’ll try to make something happen with the organization. I’ve sacrificed a lot for my team, but we’ve still got to get on the same page where I can see my family.” https://t.co/D4G5qb2fxr
— Erik Horne (@ErikkHorne) July 15, 2020
Schroder touched on Andre Roberson’s return to the court emulating what his teammates have said particularly about his defense still being top-notch. Moreover, the guard stated ‘He can help us a lot’.
More from Thunderous Intentions
- Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
- Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
- 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
- Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
- Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder
What makes this statement compelling is what that fact could mean to the rotation and how it might affect lineups. If Roberson’s defense is on the same level as his pre-injury ability, in close games it’s conceivable Roberson would take the court to shut down the opposing team star.
In that scenario, you have to believe it’s Schroder who would sit over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chris Paul. That is unless Donovan went uber small and put in ARob just for defensive possessions in place of Danilo Gallinari – which seems highly unlikely.
Schroder will wear a message on his jersey electing to go with ‘Black Lives Matter’. The other notable comment from the German point guard was he called the OKC Thunder fans the ‘best in the world’.
Hopefully, everything goes as planned for Schroder and his wife so the star will be able to be with his family and return prior to the postseason start.
We at Thunderous Intentions send out congratulations to the Schroder family and wish them a safe and healthy delivery of their second child.