Getty Darvin Ham, Los Angeles Lakers
Sitting at 3-10, the Los Angeles Lakers are struggling to find their rhythm to begin the new NBA season and may need to bring in some fresh talent to help turn things around.
According to longtime NBA analyst Marc Stein, any potential change for the Lakers is currently on hold, as the front office and coaching staff remain patient with the recovery of Dennis Schroder, and to a lesser extent Thomas Bryant.
My latest This Week In Basketball around-the-league notes package, after spending a week in L.A., leads off with a focus on the NBA’s select few rookie head coaches:
“But the sense I got after spending the past week in L.A. is that their preference is to wait for the returns of Dennis Schröder and Thomas Bryant before making judgments that could lead to changes. The Lakers have high hopes that Schröder in particular can give the offense a boost after both he and Bryant sustained thumb injuries during the preseason that required surgery,” Stein wrote in a November 14 edition of his SteinLine Newsletter.
Unfortunately for Lakers fans, the wait for Schroder and Bryant’s return could be a long and tenuous one, as the purple and gold continue to struggle for consistency, meaning wins will potentially remain difficult to come by in the coming weeks.
Dennis Schroder’s Offense Could Help
During the off-season, we all saw what a motivated Dennis Schroder is capable of, as he helped lead the German national team to a third-place finish at the FIBA EuroBasket tournament.
Not only did Schroder help Germany medal in the tournament, but he also finished as the highest-scoring guard, averaging 22.1 points per game on 45.1% shooting from the field and 32.1% shooting from the perimeter.
Dennis Schroder that’s TUFF 🤮
(via @EuroBasket)
For the Lakers, Schroder’s ability to penetrate off the dribble, force a defensive collapse, and then distribute the rock to a perimeter shooter or rolling big, will help Los Angeles begin to play at a quicker pace and punish early defensive rotations. Furthermore, Schroder has experience playing alongside both LeBron James and Anthony Davis, so one can only hope for a seamless fit once he returns to the rotation.
Kevin Durant Praises Anthony Davis
While the Lakers are hopeful that Schroder can add a new dimension to their offense, the fact of the matter remains that Los Angeles needs to get the best out of the superstars on their roster. Luckily, it would seem that Anthony Davis is edging closer back to his frightening best, and has been dominant in recent weeks.
Speaking after Davis dropped 37 points, 18 rebounds, and two assists on 60% shooting from the field on the Brooklyn Nets, Kevin Durant heaped praise onto the Lakers superstar forward, labeling him as one of the league’s All-Time greats.
“AD has a bad game, I don’t look at it as nothing serious, because he can come out and do this at any given time. So, regardless of its LeBron out there, Russ (Westbrook), Jrue Holiday, any of the teammates he ever had in his career, this is who he is. So, regardless of a bad game or bad stretch, it doesn’t matter to him. He’s an All-Time great,” Durant told the media.
Hopefully, Davis can remain healthy can continue to make an All-Star-level impact, because with him firing on all cylinders alongside LeBron, we could see the Lakers quickly start to climb the Western Conference rankings.