3 reasons why the LA Lakers should re-sign Dennis Schroder and 3 reasons why they shouldn't
The LA Lakers failed to defend their crown and crashed out in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Attention has already turned to what the Lakers and Dennis Schroder will do in the summer. Their guard is an unrestricted free agent in the offseason and will be one of the hottest assets on the market.
Contract discussions have been ongoing all year and it is still uncertain what the franchise will do with Dennis Schroder after he struggled in their postseason series against the Phoenix Suns. He, like several LA Lakers players, failed to step up when Anthony Davis was hampered by injury. That has brought into question his suitability at a team that wants to win another championship soon while LeBron James is still there.
In this article we will examine three reasons why the LA Lakers should re-sign Dennis Schroder and three reasons why they shouldn't. Let's dive right in.
#3A LA Lakers should re-sign Dennis Schroder: Could have his best years ahead
Dennis Schroder is only 27 and in theory should still have his best years ahead of him. In his eight years in the league, Schroder has developed his profile as one of the best two-way guards. He has worked his way up to becoming the starting point guard for the reigning champions.
He averaged 14 points and 5.8 assists this year, along with 1.1 steals per game. Over his career, he has shot at over 43% from the field and 83% from the line. On the defensive end he leads by example in terms of hustle and ranked in the top 10% of players for loose balls recovered during the regular season.
Alongside two of the best players in the league, Schroder can continue to develop his game.
#3B LA Lakers shouldn't re-sign Dennis Schroder: Inconsistency
Dennis Schroder has proven to be a decent enough offensive option and a dogged defender. But he hasn't done it consistently enough to warrant staying with the LA Lakers long-term. While he can produce the sort of performances like his 25-point, 13-assist game against the Dallas Mavericks at the end of April, these have been rare.
Over the 61 games Schroder played this season, he scored single-digit points in ten of them and only dished out more than eight assists in 14 of them. In game six against the Suns he scored 20 points, however in the previous matchup he scored none in 26 minutes of play.
Despite still having his prime years ahead of him, the LA Lakers may look to bring in greater experience and reliability from the floor.