Why the Lakers should pursue Lonzo Ball over re-signing Dennis Schroder
By Jason Reed
2. Lonzo Ball is already a better basketball player than Dennis Schroder
I know that there are some Lakers fans who will clown on Lonzo Ball and don’t realize his true talent. Ball is a young, blossoming point guard that has all the makings of being one of the 10-best point guards in the league at some point in his career. Let’s not forget that he is only 23!
As mentioned, Ball is going to get better as his contract goes along while Schroder has pretty much already hit his pick. The funny thing about that is that Ball is already a better basketball player than Schroder!
Ball is averaging 14.2 points, 5.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game this season. His efficiency has gone up on the offensive end tremendously as well. Ball is shooting 42.5% from the field, 38.5% from beyond the arc and 76.7% from the free-throw line for an effective field goal percentage of 54.9%.
His efficiency has gone up every single season and will continue to do so. He is adding a much more efficient offensive outlook while still being a fantastic defender.
Schroder is averaging 15.4 points, 5.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. He is shooting 43.5% from the field, 33.3% from beyond the arc and 83.3% from the free-throw line. His eFG% is 47.9%, 7% lower than Ball. In fact, Schroder has never posted an eFG% as high as Ball’s this season.
He is also not as good defensively. While he is no slouch on the defensive end, he does not have the defensive upside that Ball has.
Schroder has posted a -1.4 Box Plus/Minus this season, Ball has posted a 1.2 BPM. That is the same BPM difference between Anthony Davis and Thaddeus Young.
But sometimes it is not just about talent, right? The fit also has to be considered.