Report: Lakers have interesting plan for Dennis Schroder

Jan 15, 2020; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder (17) smiles during warm ups before a game against the Toronto Raptors at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Dennis Schroder’ sequel in Los Angeles could be looking a little different than the original film.

Dan Woike of the LA Times wrote in a recent report that the Los Angeles Lakers are hoping to use the newly-signed guard Schroder to chase “high-movement” point guards such as Ja Morant and Steph Curry. Woike adds that the organization is hoping to mirror with Schroder the success that Dwight Howard had during his second act with the Lakers in 2019-20.

Schroder, 29, just signed a one-year deal with the Lakers for the veteran’s minimum. It will be his second stint with the team after serving as their starting guard during the 2020-21 campaign (which was a mixed bag).

A Sixth Man of the Year finalist in Oklahoma City, Schroder probably makes the most sense coming off the bench this time around as Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley are already in tow. But the Lakers eyeing Schroder as a defender on the likes of Morant and Curry would seem to suggest that he is also a candidate to start (Woike further notes that the team hopes to use Beverley to contain high-level wings).

A three-guard Westbrook, Schroder, and Beverley lineup alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis is a non-starter due to its deficiencies with floor-spacing and ball movement (not to mention that all three of those guards are 6-foot-3 or shorter). With Beverley looking like a shoo-in to start with his defensive energy and above-average three-point shooting, perhaps the Lakers really do consider the drastic lineup move with Westbrook that has recently been rumored.