Dennis Schroder

How Rob Pelinka Has Weaponized the Los Angeles Lakers Offensive Arsenal

December 18, 2020 By LakerTom 3 Comments

Last season, the Lakers proved the axiom that defense wins championships. This season Rob Pelinka has given the Lakers an arsenal of weapons so their high powered offense could be as good as their championship defense.

While the Lakers clearly gave up some rim protection by not bringing back McGee and Howard, they still have their best shot blocker and rim protector in Anthony Davis, who will be playing the five when they close out games. Meanwhile, the objective in basketball is still to put the ball in the basket more times than your opponent and the four players the Lakers added this offseason were dramatic offensive upgrades over the four they replaced.

1. Marc Gasol for JaVale McGee

While the individual stats don’t show it, the biggest move to transform the Lakers offense this offseason was replacing traditional center JaVale McGee with modern 3-point shooting and elite playmaking center Marc Gasol. Gasol’s ability to shoot and pass the ball from the top of the key will open the floor for Laker superstars James and Davis to attack the rim and create opportunities for cutters like Caldwell-Pope and Kuzma to get easy baskets.

While Gasol only averaged 7.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 26.4 minutes per game vs. McGee’s 6.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 16.6 minutes per game, Marc shot 38.5% on 3.4 attempted threes per game. While Marc Gasol won’t personally add many points, his ability to stretch defenses and pass to cutters will transform the Lakers offensively and give teammates better spacing and opportunities to score than last season.

2. Dennis Schroder for Rajon Rondo

The second biggest offseason move Pelinka made was trading for Dennis Schroder to replace Rajon Rondo and give the Lakers a legitimate starting point guard in his prime to take the playmaking load off of LeBron James. While Schroder is not the elite playmaker Rondo was, he’s a much better scorer, 3-point shooter, and on ball defender. He also adds an element of speed at both ends of the court the Lakers did not have last season.

Finishing second in the 6MOY competition, Schroder averaged 18.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in 30.8 minutes per game last season vs. Rondo’s 7.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in 20.5 minutes per game. While the Lakers may miss Playoff Rondo’s clutch savvy, Schroder is 7 years younger, will give the Lakers the third scorer they’ve been missing, make life easier for LeBron in the starting lineup, and run the team when he rests.

3. Wesley Matthews for Danny Green

Like Gasol for McGee, Matthews for Green was more about saving money and cap space and replacing a player whose productivity declined for a player who brought more offensive potential and versatility to the Lakers. By replacing Danny Green with Wesley Matthews, Rob Pelinka was able to exchange an expensive veteran shooting guard for one on a minimum contract and to steal a starting player from the rival Milwaukee Bucks.

Matthews averaged 7.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 24.4 minutes per game last season for the Bucks while Green posted 8.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 24.8 minutes per game for the Lakers. While Matthews’ 36.4% on 4.4 threes per game is almost identical to Green’s 36.7% on 4.8 threes per game, Wes was the better and quicker defender against big wing scorers like Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

4. Montrezl Harrell for Dwight Howard

Replacing veteran backup center Dwight Howard with the 26-year old explosive, high scoring reigning 6MOY Montrezl Harrell could turn out to be Rob Pelinka’s crowning achievement of the offseason for the Lakers. While the Lakers will miss Howard’s elite rim protection, the opportunity to steal Trezz from the rival Clippers was just too tempting to pass and gives the team’s bench a needed boost in energy and scoring when LeBron rests.

Harrell averaged 18.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 27.8 minutes per game with the Clippers last season while Howard averaged 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 18.9 minutes per game with the Lakers. While Trezz is not the defender Dwight was, he will be playing alongside an elite defender and shot blocker in Anthony Davis and should continue being a high powered bench scorer who regularly dominates reserve centers.

Comparing the offensive productivity of the four players Rob added to that of the players they replaced is revealing. Gasol, Schroder, Matthews, and Harrell averaged a combined 52.4 points, 19.5 rebounds, and 10.4 assists per game. Meanwhile, McGee, Rondo, Green, and Howard averaged 29.2 points, 19.3 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game. The four new players Rob Pelinka added to the Lakers posted 79% more points and 39% more assists.

That added offense from these four players translates into 23.2 more points and 2.9 more assists per game for a Lakers team that ranked 11th in the league with 113.4 points per game and 10th with 25.4 assists per game. Adding those numbers to last year’s averages would give the Lakers 136.6 points and 28.3 assist per game, both of which would rank first in the league and show how Rob Pelinka has weaponized the team’s offensive arsenal.

How Marc Gasol and Dennis Schroder Will Transform Lakers Starting Lineup

December 13, 2020 By LakerTom 3 Comments

Championship teams commonly make personnel changes to upgrade their roster but the Los Angeles Lakers added two new players to their starting lineup who will dramatically change their style of play for the next season.

What’s more startling is how the changes will impact Lakers’ superstars James and Davis, with point guard Dennis Schroder taking the ball out of LeBron’s hands and stretch center Marc Gasol creating spacing for AD. Defending NBA champions rarely risk major changes in how they or their superstars play but the Lakers are rolling the dice and counting on Schroder and Gasol to transform how the team takes advantage of James and Davis.

So why would the Lakers make such drastic changes after winning the title? The answer is a combination of wanting to repeat as champions and protect and preserve the health and longevity of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Specifically, the Lakers believe they will be a better team and have a longer championship window if they make the game easier for their superstars by not having LeBron have to play the point and by spreading the floor for AD.

That’s why Rob Pelinka’s first offseason move was to trade for OKC Thunder point guard Dennis Schroder. The Lakers saw how Rajon Rondo made the Lakers better and the game easier for LeBron James in their playoff run. With LeBron now locked under contract for the next three years, the Lakers want to do everything they can to alleviate the workload James has to carry during the regular season to keep him fresh and healthy for the playoffs.

Replacing 34-year old Rajon Rondo with 27-year old Dennis Schroder gives the Lakers a key player whose age and championship window perfectly align with 27-year old superstar Anthony Davis, who signed a 5-year extension. While not as elite a playmaker as Rondo, Schroder is a major upgrade offensively, giving the Lakers a sorely needed third scorer and elite 3-point threat as he averaged 18.9 points per game and shot 38.5% from deep.

Besides reducing LeBron’s ball handling and scoring workload, Dennis should also give the Lakers’ starting lineup another bulldog defender who can fight through screens and relentlessly hound opposing point guards. Schroder will also allow James to focus more on the defensive side of the ball, where he remains one of the best individual and team defenders in the NBA, especially against elite bigger wing scorers like Kawhi and Giannis.

While it may seem counterintuitive to take the ball out of LeBron’s hands, the Lakers want to keep James fresh and healthy for this and future seasons and empower him to pick and choose when and where to take over games. That’s why the Lakers traded for Dennis Schroder, an elite point guard who could free LeBron James from the primary ball handling and scoring duties and optimize and extend his career and championship opportunities.

The second major offseason change the Lakers made to their starting lineup was to replace their former starting traditional center tandem of McGee and Howard with 35-year old veteran playmaking stretch five center Marc Gasol. Once again, the Lakers made a dramatic decision to change how they play because of what they learned in the playoffs, as Markieff Morris’ elite play as a stretch four/five created optimal spacing for James and Davis to dominate.

Trading two defensive stalwarts like JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard for two offensive oriented centers like Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell again seemed counterintuitive, especially for a team whose identity was defense. While McGee and Howard had become unplayable due to matchups in the playoffs, the Lakers’ decision not to bring back either of them was a surprise because coach Vogel has always made protecting the rim his top priority.

Give Rob Pelinka, Frank Vogel, and the Lakers’ front office and coaching staff kudos for accepting their closing lineup with AD as a modern center had performed better than any of their starting lineups with a traditional center. Since they wanted to preserve and protect Davis by limiting his minutes at center, the Lakers decided to replace their starting traditional center with a modern offensive center who was an elite shooter and passer like Gasol.

While he’s no longer an elite shot blocker like McGee or Howard, Marc Gasol is still a former DPOY and elite positional defender with a high BBIQ who’s also still one of the premier passing and shooting centers in the league. Marc at center in the starting lineup will enable the Lakers to play the same five-out sets their closing lineups with Davis played that spread defenses and opened up lanes for LeBron and other Lakers to attack the rim.

The additions of Dennis Schroder and Marc Gasol showed the Lakers’ front office and coaching staff were willing to make major changes not only to upgrade the defending champions’ roster but to change how the team plays. Making bold moves that dramatically affect how the team’s superstars will play is an indication of a confident franchise that’s not afraid to go all-in and make changes to improve what was already the best team in the league.

While last year’s starting lineup lacked a true point guard and modern center, the Lakers still dominated in the playoffs and won their 17th championship despite not having home court advantage or hometown fans. Armed with a dynamic young point guard in Dennis Schroder and a savvy modern stretch center in Marc Gasol, the Lakers should be even better this season and odds on favorites to win their 18th NBA championship.

The true test will be whether the moves designed to upgrade the Lakers’ surrounding cast to unleash the powers of LeBron James and Anthony Davis will be able to win in what’s looks to be another Covid-19 dominated season. We know the Lakers as an organization run every major decision by LeBron James and Anthony Davis so we have to believe the two superstars were on board with the moves and ready to embrace the team’s new direction.

While their starting lineup this season is likely to look a lot more like the rest of the league with a true point guard and modern center, the Lakers will continue to be bigger, deeper, and better than the rest of the NBA teams.

5 Things: It Begins

December 12, 2020 By Jamie Sweet 4 Comments

Aaaaaaaaand we’re back! The Lakers title defense kicked off its Foreward part of the season (aka as the NBA preseason this year) as Chapter 1 is yet to come. We didn’t see many of the players who were featured on the team when we won the NBA title a couple days ago or so. We did, however, see many (not all) of the new faces in what was an expectedly ragged affair. Style points weren’t many to come by and there won’t be any major rotation decisions made based off of what we saw. so the news that will likely make the most headlines is: The NBA is back!

The Good. Talen Horton-Tucker looked pretty good, he made nice plays both for himself and others. He looked solid on D as evidenced by his three steals. He had really a nifty finish over Zu in the 3rd. Not the most efficient showing, he played a tough game, though. He consistently found a way to slow the game down which is a huge developmental step for any young player. Trezz played as advertised. the dude almost had a double-double by the half and brought regular season energy in a preseason game. I loved his steal and finish on Serge in the first half. There were some nice defensive close outs for a preseason game. Wes Mathews had a super-efficient game. Biggest good? No serious injuries after we saw Wes hit the deck with a slight ankle tweak and Caruso slip and get some treatment on his hip.
The Bad. Schroder didn’t ‘wow’ and none of our ‘sure hope they improve as shooters!’ guys shot great. Fans of Kostas Antetokounmpo saw some nice flashes but will surely have wanted to see a little more, he did play well on defense. Kuzma had a mostly ‘Kyle…’ showing until the game was on the line when he found an open Quinn Cook for a three and canned a clutch triple of his own. You know, the regular preseason kind of thing.
The Ugly. The turnovers, so very many turnovers. With so little time between October 11th and the season kicking off there isn’t the luxury of a lengthy ‘getting acquainted on the court’ phase of the season and it showed tonight. Also the overall shooting was terrible, especially from three point land. Personally not sweating the Bad or the Ugly, for many reasons. Mainly: it’s preseason.
One odd thing: no rookies on the Lakers this year. There will be no hazing, no backpacks, everyone will carry their own luggage (or in the personal manner preferred) and the whole squad will have some amount of NBA service time logged, barring a trade.
From paper to reality. Since we didn’t see 4/5ths of the Lakers starting line up tonight (I’m assuming Schroder starts) it’s fair to say we still ain’t seen nothing yet. We got a win, nobody got hurt and some of the guys we’re hoping develop into something useful did pretty well. We’ll see if Sunday sees more players of impact see the floor for some time together.

For more exciting NBA news and Los Angeles Lakers info, introspection and insight check out NBA Draft Junkies and Lakers Fast Break!

Who Are the Most Valuable Lakers? Ranking Every 2020-21 Laker Player!

December 9, 2020 By LakerTom 7 Comments

Nobody’s going to accuse Rob Pelinka of being too conservative, resting on his laurels, or standing pat when it came to deciding whom to bring back and whom to replace for the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.

While he brought back 9 players from last season’s championship team, Rob approached upgrading the Lakers’ roster as if the team had fallen short and not won the battle of the bubble and posted the franchise’s 17th NBA title. He dramatically upgraded the Lakers at point guard and center, added two big time scorers to boost the team’s offense when LeBron James rested, and rejuvenated the roster with young players who fit Anthony Davis’ timeline.

Pelinka traded 33-year old shooting guard Danny Green and his first round pick for 27-year old point guard Dennis Schroder to replace 34-year old Rajon Rondo and then signed 34-year old Wes Matthews to replace Green. Then he replaced the Lakers’ old school traditional center tandem of 32-year old JaVale McGee and 34-year old Dwight Howard with 35-year old stretch five center Marc Gasol and 26-year old 6MOY Montrezl Harrell.

The impact Schroder, Matthews, Gasol, and Harrell will have on the Lakers chances of repeating can’t be overstated. Pelinka was basically able to fill all of the Lakers’ roster needs waiting for Kawhi kept them from last offseason. The Lakers not only expanded their lead but did so by stealing a key player from their top two competitors. Losing Harrell was a major blow to the Clippers’ offense and losing Matthews will clearly hurt the Bucks’ defense.

The infusion of these four new players completely changed the hierarchy of the Lakers’ roster, likely including the team’s starting lineup and rotations. Head coach Frank Vogel will have a much deeper and more versatile roster. The five players highlighted in the first row of the photo at the top of this article should be the Lakers’ new starting lineup with the five players in the second row comprising an outstanding bench in an eleven-man rotation.

Here’s where I ranked every player on the Lakers’ 2020-21 roster:

LeBron James. No debate needed. LeBron is simply still the best player on the planet and on the Lakers. Expect him to begin to conserve energy during the regular season and pick the time and spots to take charge.
Anthony Davis. Second best player in the league and a possible MVP winner this season. Will continue to play the five to close games and should be a top candidate for DPOY. Will separate himself as a player.
Marc Gasol. Will revolutionize the Lakers offense with his basketball intelligence, ability to space the floor, and elite passing ability. Will play more minutes and be the perfect defensive anchor next to Davis.
Dennis Schroder. Will start at point guard and free LeBron James from having to always handle the ball. Will play big minutes with and without LeBron on the floor. Could be serious candidate for MIP award.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Will start at shooting guard and reward the Lakers for giving him the new 3-year contract. Will continue to be one of the team’s best 3-point shooters and consistent perimeter defenders.
Montrezl Harrell. Will come off the bench and be candidate to repeat as 6MOY. Will play starter minutes often alongside Anthony Davis or Markieff Morris. Will be solid defensively and unstoppable offensively.
Markieff Morris. The catalyst on offense and defense when Anthony Davis plays the five. Will be consistent part of the Lakers’ lineup to close games. Will get matchup minutes at the five alongside AD and Trezz.
Wesley Matthews. New and improved version of Danny Green. Will see big minutes, especially against teams with bigger wing scorers like James Harden or Kawhi Leonard. One of the team’s best defenders.
Alex Caruso. That Alex is now 9th on this list is a testament to how much deeper the Lakers are this season. His great defense will continue to earn him key minutes and opportunities to close games.
Kyle Kuzma. This is a critical season for Kyle’s career as a Laker and he will need to shoot lights out to keep his place in the rotation. He will share time with Matthews guarding the Hardens and Leonards.
Talen Horton-Tucker. If having a talented and versatile ten-man roster were not enough, the Lakers also have THT, whom the coaches say is going to be hard to keep out of the rotation. He’s our lottery pick.
Alfonso McKinnie. A 6′ 7″ small forward with athleticism, McKinnie has potential as a wing defender but could also be a placeholder in case somebody like Trevor Ariza were to become available.
Quinn Cook. Quinn’s contract is not guaranteed so he is a placeholder and ‘break glass in case of emergency’ player. Like Dudley, he’s beloved by teammates and a big part of the Lakers’ great chemistry and culture.
Jared Dudley. The best 14th man in the league, Duds is great mentor and bench coach for the Lakers who can still shoot lights out and play smart defense in a pinch. Big part of team chemistry and culture.

Now the Lakers Have Twelve Players, Who’s Going to Start & Close Games?

November 26, 2020 By LakerTom 5 Comments

One of the benefits of the Lakers having a deeper and more versatile roster than last season is it gives head coach Frank Vogel and the Lakers’ coaching staff even more options to create nightmare matchups against opponents.

While training camp will finalize the Lakers’ starting and closing lineups and rotations to begin the season, we don’t have to be rocket scientists to figure out how Vogel and his staff are likely going to use their personnel.

STARTING LINEUP

Image for post — PG Caldwell-Pope, SG Matthews, SF LeBron, PF Davis, CE Gasol

The only question regarding the Lakers’ starting lineup is whether coach Frank Vogel will replicate last season’s starting lineup by substituting Wesley Matthews for traded Danny Green or start point guard Dennis Schroder.

While there was rumbling Schroder was not happy coming off the bench for the Thunder, starting Matthews gives Vogel and the Lakers a bigger, better, and more versatile defensive lineup and deeper and more potent bench. Alternating Matthews and Schroder as starters to optimize the matchups depending on whom the Lakers were playing might be a smart option but having clearly defined roles for everybody probably overrules that.

FIRST SUBSTITUTIONS

The reason for not starting Dennis Schroder is to be able to use his elite playmaking and scoring at the catalyst to unleash the awesome offensive firepower of Lakers second unit while resting LeBron and AD.

The Lakers not only want to fix the problem they had last year when LeBron or AD were not in the lineup. They want to win those minutes, which is a big reason for making the big trade for Schroder and big signing of Harrell. Schoder and Harrell averaged 18 points per game off the bench last year with Harrell winning 6MOY and Schroder runner-up. With Gasol anchoring the defense, the Lakers should dominate when LeBron and AD rest.

SECOND SUBSTITUTIONS

After starting the game with their best defensive lineup and following that with an elite offensive lineup, the Lakers should have the game in control and be able to continue to rest both LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

While the Lakers tried to always have James or Davis in the game, with the quick turnaround from last season and compressed schedule, the Lakers should deploy some load management to limit LeBron’s and AD’ minutes. This is the lineup where the Lakers really need a second modern center to protect the rim, stretch the floor, and allow Harrell to play four instead of five. That’s why the Lakers need to sign someone like Dewayne Dedmon.

CLOSING LINEUP

Like the starting lineup, the Lakers likely closing lineup is likely to resemble the lineup the Lakers ended games with during their championship run but with Wes Matthews replacing the traded Danny Green at shooting guard.

The beauty of this lineup is its balance at both ends of the court with five players who can stretch the floor shooting threes on offense and switch and rotate on defense. It’s the Lakers’ version of ‘small ball’ with a big lineup. Vogel can also add more offense or defense to this lineup depending on the situation and matchups as we saw during the playoffs. There are few teams in the league who have as deep and versatile roster as the Lakers.

The above ten man rotation is designed to spread playing time evenly among players to rely on the additions to the team to carry a bigger load and reduce minutes played by the players who just played in the Finals.

The duration or content of the four lineups can be adjusted depending on how the game is going and the players are playing. As a beginning template, the four lineups give each of the ten players two 6-minute runs each half. While that works out to 12 minutes per half or 24 minutes per game, the starting and closing lineups with LeBron and AD would likely run 7 minutes per quarter, which means 14 minutes per half or 28 minutes per game.

Again, this is just a template and actual minutes played would obviously vary depending on the score, matchups, foul problems, and who was playing well. But it’s a great blueprint for how the Lakers can optimize their roster. What it clearly shows is how the depth and versatility of the Lakers’ roster can be utilized to dramatically limit the total minutes that superstars like LeBron James and Anthony Davis and older veteran players have to play.