The Lakers will miss Dennis Schroder this season
Dennis Schroder was one of Darvin Ham’s favorites last season and it seemed like he would influence the front office to bring the German point guard back to LA. Ultimately, it did not happen as the Lakers opted to sign Gabe Vincent instead, paving the way for Schroder to sign with the Toronto Raptors.
Schroder has not officially stepped foot on the court as a Raptor yet but he has already accomplished big things since leaving the Lakers. Schroder’s Germany squad won the 2023 FIBA World Cup, defeating Austin Reaves and Team USA in the semi-final.
Schroder was by no means perfect when he was with the Lakers and there were times when Ham’s usage of him was incredibly frustrating. Lakers fans were beyond sick of seeing the three-guard lineups that Ham would continuously roll out last season.
That being said, there is a good chance that Schroder put together a better season than Vincent and Lakers fans will realize that the team overthought it. Los Angeles signed Vincent on the heels of his great playoff run but before that, he put together a regular season that was worse than Schroder’s.
Schroder could have been signed for cheaper than Vincent as well (assuming he signed for the same amount that he took from Toronto). Sometimes the grass is not always greener on the other side and that will bear out to be true in this scenario.