It wasn’t too long ago that the Los Angeles Lakers were celebrating an NBA Finals victory in the Orlando bubble. In what will be a chaotic and short offseason, they wasted no time addressing their biggest roster need. Los Angeles has struck a deal to acquire Dennis Schroder from the Oklahoma City Thunder shortly after the NBA Draft on Wednesday.
Danny Green and the Lakers’ 28th pick in this year’s draft are heading to OKC in the exchange, according to Shams Charania of Stadium. This move could mean that the Lakers don’t intend to bring Rajon Rondo back. Fellow Lakers guard Avery Bradley is also an unknown at the time in regards to whether he will be coming back or not.
Lakers and Thunder have agreement in principle on deal to send Dennis Schroder to Los Angeles, and No. 28 pick in Wednesday's Draft to OKC, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 15, 2020
The loss of Danny Green is not taken lightly for the defending champs. They can find someone closer to his defensive value this offseason than they’d be able to find in regards to a scorer such as Schroder.
The organizations greatest flaw last season was the dependency they had on both star players, but especially James. That dependency is directly related to the lack of certain skill sets, such as play-makers or scorers. It appears they know that was the case, as they moved quickly to get a scorer on the team.
Schroder Instantly Gives the Lakers a Reliable Third Scoring Option
Over the course of last season, the Lakers committed to riding the offensive skills of their two superstars. Both Anthony Davis and LeBron James averaged more than 25 points per game. Only Kyle Kuzma joined them in double-digit scoring at 12.8 points per game.
There were stretches during the regular season during which the Lakers would fall apart every time James checked out for a breather. This was especially true when James’s breaks coincided with Rondo checking in; although he was their only other distributor, his lack of scoring aggression hampered the offense more times than not.
Insert Dennis Schroder, who last season averaged 18.9 points per game for OKC on 46.9 percent field-goal shooting and 38.5 percent three-point shooting. It’s possible he’s used off the bench by Frank Vogel, and he showed he’s comfortable in that role when he was with the Thunder. It could be done to best stagger minutes between certain guys.
At the least, there’s flexibility in it. Los Angeles could roll out a similar backcourt as last season with two defensive-minded guys to set the tone.
Can Play Alongside LeBron and Anthony Davis
While a big part of getting more offensive threats is to allow the stars to be off the court at times, it’s important that the good players you bring in can play alongside your best talent.
Schroder wouldn’t have any issue in a lineup featuring James and or Davis. Would he gernally prefer the ball be in his hands? Yes. But that’s just what happens when you’re a scorer of that level.
Schroder has the skill-set to play off the ball and be used in that capacity off of the other Lakers weapons. Last season, he shot 41.4 percent on three-point catch-and-shoot opportunities. That’s higher than any of the Lakers’ rotation players shot last year.
Not only is he a scoring guard that can help keep ensure his team gets some valuable bench minutes for certain players, but he’s also someone who projects incredibly well next to stars like Davis and LeBron, specifically.
It makes sense why the Lakers seemingly pounced at this trade.
Check us out on our socials:
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page: Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group: Prime Time Sports Talk
Instagram: @ptsportstalk
Follow Garrett Brooks on Twitter @Garrett_Brooks1
0 Responses