Did The Los Angeles Lakers Make A Big Mistake?
Dennis Schroder is in his first season with the Toronto Raptors and has played well as the team's point guard.
The 11-year NBA veteran is averaging 14.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.1 steals per contest while shooting 42.1% from the field and 35.3% from the three-point range in 29 games.
Schroder is coming off a year where he was a solid role player for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Did The Lakers Make A Mistake?
Schroder signed with the Raptors (over the offseason) to a two-year, $25.4 million deal (h/t Spotrac), so it's possible the Lakers would have been able to keep him.
The Lakers added guards Gabe Vincent and Jalen Hood-Schifino, but neither player has been able to make up for the loss of Schroder.
Hood-Schifino, who was the 17th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft out of Indiana, is averaging 2.8 points and 1.2 rebounds per contest in five games.
Meanwhile, Vincent has dealt with an injury and is averaging 5.4 points, 1.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest while shooting 37.5% from the field in five games.
While it's possible that Hood-Schifino and Vincent could become essential to the Lakers at some point this season (or next), Schroder clearly has been more productive than both players combined.
Right now, the Lakers are 16-14 in their first 30 games, which has them as the ninth seed in the Western Conference.
They are 5-5 over their last ten games and will host Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics on Monday in Los Angeles.
