Lakers' Dennis Schroder Out 10-14 Days Because of Covid-19 Protocols

Los Angeles Lakers guard Dennis Schroder will miss up to two weeks as he works through the league's health and safety protocols, head coach Frank Vogel told reporters Monday.

That confirms a report by Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium earlier in the day.

The 27-year-old entered protocols Sunday and will be out for 10-14 days.

The Lakers have eight games left this season, five of which are scheduled between Monday and May 11.

Schroder didn't play Sunday against the Toronto Raptors because of the designation. This marks the second time this season he has been absent to go through the health and safety protocols.

He missed four games in February, though he said he didn't test positive for the coronavirus and questioned the purpose of the protocols.

"It hurts, first off. I never had COVID. Tested negative the whole time. The situation is what it is. But the NBA, I think, got to do better,” he said about the health and safety protocols at the time. "I think for sure they need to do better. I mean, I tested negative the whole time. I never had positive. They got to figure that out, for sure."

Schroder, who came to the team in a November trade for Danny Green after two years with the Oklahoma City Thunder, has been an important piece of the lineup for a Lakers team that has had to press on amid injuries to stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Through 59 games this season, he is averaging 15.5 points, 5.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and a career-high 1.2 steals per game.

With Schroder out, Alex Caruso is likely to see more time. The Lakers are sixth in the Western Conference at 36-28.