Lakers: 3 things Dennis Schroder needs to prove to earn $84 million+

3. Improved on-ball defense

One area where Dennis Schroder compares favorably to other guards at a similar price-point is his defensive ability. Of the guards repeatedly mentioned in this article, Schroder’s Defensive LEBRON ranking is 2nd and in the 54th percentile, behind Fred VanVleet.

Of particular note is his loose-ball recovery rate of 82.4% (95th percentile), a testament to how much effort Schroder puts into the dirty work.

He also ranks highly for steals per 75 possessions (90th percentile).

These numbers are all the more impressive when you realize that:

1. Schroder is a starter on the league’s #1 ranked defense and;
2. Defensively, Schroder spends 23.2% of his time guarding primary ball-handlers (86th percentile), meaning that coach Frank Vogel isn’t hiding Schroder on defense.

However, there is room for improvement.

His three-point-contests per 75 possessions are in the 22nd percentile, and his real adjusted turnover rate is in the 33rd percentile, less-than-ideal numbers for a point guard.

Furthermore, while, unlike a big man, it’s not as crucial for your point guard to be an elite defensive player, having a defensively strong point guard does alleviate some pressure from the interior.

Any team that signs Schroder to a big contract will be doing so knowing that he’s merely an average perimeter defender, a usable piece in a good defensive scheme, but not one who’ll elevate it to new levels.

Despite the tone of this article, this author believes that Dennis Schroder is an excellent, well-above-average basketball player. However, when comparing his basketball abilities to his peers who are earning north of $20 million per year, the thing that stands out is that they’re all elite in one or more areas.

For Schroder to be worth more than $21 million like some of his peers, he needs to excel as a shot creator, a lockdown defender, or a passer. While he’s been a solid piece for the Los Angeles Lakers, he’s not outstanding at any of those previously mentioned skills. He thus needs to take significant strides between now and the end of the season if he expects to get paid a more lucrative contract than the extension he declined.

While it’s certainly disappointing that Schroder almost definitely won’t be a Laker next season, fans can take solace in the fact that the front office dodged a bullet by not overpaying for his services.