Dennis Schroder
The Oklahoma City Thunder receive: SG/SF Danny Green and the Lakers 2020 1st round pick
The Los Angeles Lakers receive: PG Dennis Schroder
Another day, another point guard.
Throughout the season, the Los Angeles Lakers have done admirably in terms of addressing the point guard position.
They have Avery Bradley playing the point, offering great defense but little in the way of playmaking, they have LeBron James leading the league in assists which is fantastic but he is not guarding point guards. They have Alex Caruso who has done well in the time he has been given and you have Rondo and Cook who have been warm bodies.
While LeBron is the main playmaker, I think even LeBron would admit that it would be nice to have someone you can fully rely upon and know that when LeBron is off the floor that they will handle the ball and the level of play will not drop off dramatically with their being a competent ballhandler on the floor.
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Schroder is a live wire, with his herky-jerky movement, it is difficult for opposing defenders to lock him down as his movements on the court can be unpredictable.
Schroder can burn you with his speed and get to the basket, he can step back and hit it from mid-range, and he has a Derrick Rose Esque floater that he lofts over big men to solid effect.
Schroder has the potential to be the perfect point guard for this Los Angeles Lakers team.
This season he has been a good 3-point shooter, knocking down 38.1% of his 3-point attempts.
Schroder is a capable passer, he would still be considered a scoring point guard but he is more than capable of dishing the ball around and averaging 7APG.
He has improved dramatically as a defender and is starting to come into his own as a player.
With his numbers trending upwards, it is unusual to see that Schroder has only started one game this season and 15 games total since his move to Oklahoma.
While he is a great 6th man of the year candidate, he should have aspirations of wanting to start.
With Chris Paul and SGA ahead of him on the depth chart and that being unlikely to change anytime soon, a move elsewhere would potentially push Schroder on to even higher heights.
A move to the Lakers could be perfect.
He wouldn’t be expected to run the offense, he would get a lot of open looks due to the attention LeBron and AD get, he will be the leader of the 2nd unit while getting starting minutes, he will have a chance to win a ring and he will finally get to fully realize his potential which if he continues to put it together could lead to an All-Star appearance.