Dennis Schroder has provided some headlines for the Los Angeles Lakers as the team fights on without LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Schroder has not done so with his play on the court, however.
Schroder has made headlines as it was reported that he turned down a four-year, $84 million contract extension from the Los Angeles Lakers. This was surprising for two reasons; first, it was a bit shocking that the Lakers would offer that much to a slightly-above-average point guard and second, that said slightly-above-average point guard said no.
I broke down in a previous article why the Lakers should tell Schroder to kick rocks on extension talks. He is a solid player and I am a fan of his, but he has not played well enough in LA to warrant anything more than $21 million, let alone $21 million as is.
Instead, the Los Angeles Lakers should look to bring back a familiar face in the offseason.
The free-agent point guard that the Los Angeles Lakers should be more interested in is former Laker himself, Lonzo Ball. I am a huge fan of Ball and he would be a much better player for the Lakers to target over Schroder.
Of course, there has to be mutual interest there and the Lakers would have to make an offer than the New Orleans Pelicans do not want to match, as Ball is only a restricted free agent. But is New Orleans really going to pay Ball $20 million+ per season with Brandon Ingram’s contract and Zion Williamson eventually due for an extension?
It is an interesting situation and one that the Lakers should at least gauge. Schroder should be a backup plan, not the priority.
Here are three reasons why Lonzo Ball should be the priority.
1. It makes more sense for the Los Angeles Lakers to pay Lonzo Ball $20 million+
The Los Angeles Lakers would have to pay a pretty penny for Ball. This is not the case of the Lakers saving money in signing him over Schroder. However, the Lakers might be able to save $2-4 million per season on Ball based on Schroder rejecting the Lakers’ offer.
Personally, and this is not a report, just theory, I think that Schroder is aiming to cross the nine-figure mark. If he turned down $21 million for four years then that tells me he is trying to get $25 million for four years to get that lucrative $100 million contract.
That is an overpay for Schroder, however, you could make the case for why the Lakers would agree to that contract. In theory, the Lakers could agree to that deal and in the future have Schroder and Kyle Kuzma as the centerpieces of a trade for a superstar to make the salaries work.
Every team needs that in-between contract to make those trades possible.
The only problem with Schroder is that he is not good enough for any team to view him as an asset for $100 million. He is currently in his prime so he is not going to get better and would simply become a distressed asset wherever he goes.
Lonzo Ball is much younger and thus has more value. Not only would he have more value in a trade, though, but he is much more likely to get better as his contract goes along, whereas Schroder is going to remain constant if not get worse.
So not only is Ball going to be worth the money down the line but he is someone who the Lakers could package with Kuzma for a third star if needed. Let’s say the Washington Wizards finally shop Bradley Beal. Would they be more likely to say yes to a deal that is centered around Ball and Kuzma or Schroder and Kuzma?
The answer is obvious.
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.
3. Lonzo Ball fits better on the Los Angeles Lakers
Lonzo Ball already played one season with LeBron James and his numbers went down from his rookie season. Ball needs the basketball to be successful, right? So playing alongside LeBron James is a bad fit for him, right?
Wrong. Ball’s numbers did go down in year two but that was not a byproduct of LeBron James being in town. Ball dealt with injuries that season and only played 47 games. LeBron missed significant time as well. It was a change, but the two did not get as much time to play together as expected and even when they did, LeBron and Lonzo were the third-best two-man combination on the Lakers that season in terms of offensive rating.
What makes Ball a better fit than Schroder is the fact that he actually does not need the basketball to succeed. It sounds ironic, I know, but Ball is a special kind of point guard that keeps up the temp and keeps the ball moving.
He has great passing and can absolutely take the ball up the court and run a half-court offense, but he is also someone who can be an off-ball passing threat. Nothing is more indicative of that than his usage rate.
Ball has a career-high usage rate of 19.7% this season and he is putting up better numbers than Schroder, who has a usage rate of 23.7%.
That 4% difference is significant and Schroder actually has a far lower usage rate than before. He has hit above 30% before in his career. He is someone who looks his best when his usage rate is high. Chances are, is Dennis Schroder has a 30% usage rate, then you probably are not looking at a great basketball team.
Lonzo Ball makes more sense financially, is a better player and is a better fit next to LeBron James while also being capable of running the offense when LeBron doesn’t. He is miles ahead of Dennis Schroder.