Not so much a matter of him earning it or being good enough to start. Problem is it creates a big problem at the 2 guard with size and KCP has even more earned starting on this team.
The problem with Schroder wanting to start isn't that it's a bad fit because Schroder, Bron, AD, Marc Gasol or Trezz, and KCP or Matthews would be an awesome team. The problem is we would need to sign another PG because I don't think Caruso is capable of running the offense 100% of the time. UNLESS, the Lakers play LeBron the first six minutes of the 1st Q, play Schroder the first 10 minutes of the 1st Q, and then have Bron come in the 2nd Q with Schroder still on the bench and try to play them as little as possible together. Frank did the same with AD where he would play AD the entire 1st Q and then have LeBron start the 2nd so the Lakers almost always had AD or Bron on the court. For this to work, you'd have to play AD+Schroder as much as possible together to maximize Schroder's PnR action. I don't mind Schroder wanting to start. He's gonna want to get his money in his contract year. If he can put up 18/4/5 and play good defense, he's going to be getting a six figure contract. Of course, none of this matters if Kuzma takes a huge leap offensively... If Kuzma can lead the 2nd lineup and become a good scorer, it automatically changes everything. I could see Kuzma winning 6MOTY if he put his mind to it...
Last year was an exception for sure. I think in large part to Vogel and hoping he’ll work same magic this year starting this week.
As I mentioned, what Schröder wants and what the Lakers coaching staff decides could be different. Chances are they will be in fact since we would be giving up defense if he starts. Bottom line that he needs to come to terms with is that it simply doesn’t matter who starts. He’s going to play and be asked to play significant minutes regardless because the more rest Lebron gets this season the better. That’s probably what our FO told his agent- Schröder is going to get plenty of PT at PG. I’m thinking he gets 30 plus minutes per game this year.
Hopefully he fits into the Laker family quickly, and this is not a topic of conversation by the end of the year. AND Hopefully he sees how insignificant starting is in the big picture VS BEING A CHAMPIONSHIP SQUAD
Kuzma will have the worst year of his career. Main thing he brings is that inconsistent scoring punch. With Schroder and Trezz coming from the bench, that's like 35/40pts. There won't be much left for him. He will also be asked more and more to be a corner shooter but he is not one and will fail. I feel bad for this, would have liked Kuz to have a good career. Hope he proves me wrong As for Schroder. I don't think we will cave to what he wants by hurting the team. Our starter PG was LeBron and will remain to do so. There's no point in adding Dennis and then don't have a backup in the bench. Schroder needs to understand that he will play EVERY minute LeBron doesn't. In regular season that's around 15 to 18 minutes. Throw it more of the same with them playing together and you have a +30mpg. Schroder is key for us to keep us always in the game and resting LeBron. That's huge and I hope he understands it as it can be very good for his career. If he just wants a starting role than he should go to the Knicks lol I see him a lock in clutch time, with LeBron and AD. Then 2 of Caruso, KCP, Wes or Trezz, depending on in-game form and matchups. What an incredible roster
Not sure we lose a lot of defense. If he started, it would be in place of KCP or Caruso. From everything I'm reading, Schroder was a decent defender last season on OKC. KCP was pretty average on that end until the last two rounds of the playoffs, so the sample size on him isn't enough to say KCP is superior to Schroder on D. Obviously Caruso is better, but I think Caruso is best served off the bench. That's where he makes his most massive impact for us. The book on Schroder is he is a "dog" out there. That means there won't be a lack of effort from him. Plug Schroder into Vogel's system that turned very average players into good defenders, I think Schroder will surprise us on defense.
I'm hoping so, too Savory. My thinking was he would be starting at PG and KCP would start as well at the 2 probably because of continuity from last year. That would move Wes to the bench where I think we would lose D. I don't see Schroder and/or Wes starting over KCP after KCP has been here for years and proved his value (plus got a big starters type contract). Honestly I think the best thing is for Schroder to come off the bench. A starting unit of Lebron, KCP, Wes jr, AD and Gasol is a continuation of what we were doing last year with an upgrade to the offense in ball movement/spacing with Gasol at C over McGee. On paper Wes is exactly a Green replacement but I think in reality he will also be an upgrade both in D and offense.
1st Q/3rd Q: LeBron first 5-6 minutes before being benched Schroder first 9-10 minutes before being benched 2nd Q/4th Q: LeBron first 5 minutes before being benched and comes back in when there is 4 minutes remaining. Schroder plays from 6 minutes onwards. Total time: LeBron: 28-30 minutes per game Schroder: 30-32 minutes per game Total time together: 18-20 minutes together. Gives LeBron enough time to do what he has to do while Schroder gets 12-14 minutes of PG duties. Either way, Frank will do a great job making sure the lineups make sense. The last thing Schroder wants to do for his own sake is get the Lakers and LeBron upset over who starts. Surely no team will want to pay someone a premium when they cause a ruckus over that.
A very underrated aspect of Vogel's coaching last season. He was very consistent with his rotations most of the season.
Just show him film of Dragic killing second units and then finishing off teams with butler in the playoffs last year. That is the ideal role for him on the Lakers: all those defenses setup to Butler/Bam and shooters then had to deal with a guy scything thru the lane. Same thing should be here for Schroeder plenty of space and one on one matchups for him to operate
It’s good to have two guys you feel will be great going down the stretch that you can trust. What a luxury! But the cream will rise to the top and whoever deserves it most will close out games. I see huge value in staggering Schr with Lebron for ball handling and scoring punch though. He sees himself making the starters’ lives easier, but scoring wasn’t an issue in the starting lineup. I’m a little concerned about the me first approach, but it’s great to have a young, hungry, aggressive lion ready to show his worth.
Curious to see if this guy can shoot the 3 and outside jumpers well. I know he likes to get to the rim but i also hope he knocks down a good % of his Js if he wants to share the starting minutes alongside AD and Bron.
From what I've read, his mid-range is ranked among the best in the league. More importantly, he's a clutch player, so whether he starts or not, he is definitely finishing games. Can't wait.
