Dennis Schroder I remember was once a point guard I expected to be a top 5 point guard in the NBA by now and it has not panned out that way and maybe never does but alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis he is going to be absolutely lethal. The Lakers pretty much swept through the Western Conference in the bubble and Miami gave them a slight scare in the NBA Finals but Dennis will give the Lakers that player who can get to the basket and be able to create and score at a high clip. Rajon Rondo was able to provide floor spacing and gave the Lakers a third shot creator but I would not want to bank on Rajon Rondo having a performance like he had in the past playoffs going into next year. Dennis Schroder is much younger and no where near the play-maker Rajon Rondo is but he is certainly a better scorer than Rajon Rondo. Rondo has had his share of high-scoring games in his career I just think the Lakers need more consistent scoring with the Nets and Warriors coming back next season.
Dennis Schroder is only locked in for this coming season so if the Lakers lose in the playoffs and decide he is not worth re-signing than so be it. There are still questions about LeBron James and Anthony Davis and whether or not they’ll be in Los Angeles past this coming season. Dennis has been flying under the radar playing in small markets like Atlanta and OKC and that is no disrespect towards those markets who could some day be title contenders but Dennis is playing for a championship now in LA. I don’t feel too enthusiastic to say the Lakers could win the next 2 titles but it is not out of the realm. The Lakers could add a third superstar like Giannis Antetokoumpo and win the next 4-5 championships if they could manage to lure Giannis to LA but that quite possibly means Dennis not re-signing with the Lakers. A LeBron-Giannis-Davis Big 3 would break the NBA and maybe Dennis is just a rental for the Lakers but he could be a piece the Lakers keep around the next 3-4 years with LeBron and Davis.
I really do believe LeBron could groom Dennis into a top 5 point guard in the NBA, Dennis is one of the best wing defenders in the NBA and packs lateral movement equivalent to a Patrick Beverley and Avery Bradley two of the most suffocating players in the league. I am not sure if the Lakers will bring back Kentavious Caldwell-Pope but if they do the Lakers will have a top 5-defense once again and the best back-court defense in the NBA. The way I saw Caruso and Caldwell-Pope out there chasing players off the ball and playing passing lanes if Dennis is thrown into the picture the Lakers will be able to turn it up to a level defensively no other team in the NBA will be able to rival come playoff time. The Lakers were practically unstoppable on both ends in the bubble the Lakers just lacked consistent shot-makers aside from LeBron and Davis. It felt like every time LeBron was off the floor the Lakers had no answer if Davis’s shot was not falling, Davis is arguably the most skilled big man in NBA history but he is not someone you want operating with the bal at the top of the key. Dennis Schroder will be a trusted ball handler and more than likely be the Lakers’s second go to play-maker behind LeBron assuming Rondo takes an exit.
To conclude I expect Dennis to remain under the radar for the rest of his career, he’ll never be a Stephen Curry or Damian Lillard but he could be the next Tony Parker who was a point guard from the 2000’s era who racked up championships on the San Antonio Spurs with Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili while Steve Nash and Chris Paul took consistent playoff exits. I am shocked Dennis Schroder will be a Laker but my gut instinct tells me LeBron knew what Dennis would bring to the table. Funny because I had thoughts while watching the Lakers in the bubble through many games where they needed a offensive spark and Kyle Kuzma was nowhere to be found when I expected him to step up, no knock towards Kuzma he just wasn’t a good enough ball handler to be the Lakers 3rd shot creator behind LeBron and Rondo. I’ll predict Dennis will be holding a Larry O’Brien trophy in July, till next time.
D-NBA 