One of the most important acquisitions for the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason was Dennis Schröder. The former Oklahoma City Thunder point guard was brought in to run the offense when LeBron James is on the bench, a problem area for the team last season even before the departure of Rajon Rondo during free agency.
Still, that doesn’t appear to be the only role Lakers head coach Frank Vogel envisions for the German international, telling media members after day two of training camp that he expects James and Schröder to share “heavy minutes” on the court together, calling it a huge part of the Lakers’ plan this season.
It’s not too surprising that Vogel sees that as a partnership he can use this season. Even Rondo spent quite a big chunk of time playing alongside James despite the spacing issues that created. In fact, nearly half of Rondo’s minutes came with LeBron on the court, in lineups that outscored opponents by 8.1 points per 100 possessions during the regular season.
Schröder’s shooting ability, as well as his speed in transition, seem like natural fits alongside LeBron. He can space the floor, catch outlet passes, and run those guard plus LeBron pick-and-rolls that the Lakers enjoyed quite a bit of success with last season.
Vogel has had nothing but praise for his new point guard, though he has stopped short of naming him a starter quite yet, so it’s not a shock to see he has high expectations for how he can use him. Vogel has always kept his starting lineup plans close to the chest, so don’t expect a concrete answer for the lineup until much closer to opening night.
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