The Los Angeles Lakers will execute a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder to land Dennis Schroder. The addition for the reigning NBA champions should go a long way in defending their title defense.
An NBA executive who wished to remain anonymous agreed to discuss with NBA Analysis Network how the Lakers’ acquisition of Schroder will impact their team.
The main area where the Lakers struggled last season was in their offensive output when LeBron James was on the sidelines. Dennis Schroder, a finalist for the 2019 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award, will help by shouldering much of the playmaking burden in those situations.
“The Lakers had some real problems offensively when LeBron (James) was on the bench. (Dennis) Schroder is going to help change that a lot. He can be the lead initiator in pick-and-rolls and get the ball going downhill in DHOs.”
A critical area where the Lakers will benefit from having Schroder on the court with James is in the ability to attack favorable mismatches. Not only can Schroder convert on catch-and-shoot looks at a high clip, he can blow by slower footed defenders to get into the paint.
“Outside of LeBron (James) and (Anthony) Davis, the Lakers didn’t have a reliable ISO threat to turn to last season. That’s where (Dennis) Schroder can help. All three of those guys can attack mismatches and there will be plenty with all the switching that goes on.
“Most wing defenders can’t stay in front of Schroder because he’s just so quick. All of those pick-and-switch sequences LeBron likes to do will make it tough on the whole defense.
“Not having to worry about Schroder being able to hit open jumpers is a considerable advantage. He can explode by defenders when needed and won’t jeopardize the Lakers’ floor spacing.”
The overall combination of attributes that Schroder possesses in his skill-set will bring a strong boost the Lakers. It only helps that he is on an expiring contract— keeping the team’s options open for next NBA offseason.
If the Los Angeles Lakers experience real success with Dennis Schroder on the court, it could go a long way in potentially winning another NBA championship. Having another perimeter player to turn to offensively while benefiting from his quickness on defense will be key.
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