Huge game for him, probably his best as a Laker. Between the layup to send it to OT and the stop against JC, he really stepped it up late. Props for battling through those injuries.
Side note but I hate JC's game: he's a s***ty defender. In a Cavs playoff game, Cory Joseph of all people obliterated him - he was unplayable in 4th quarters because teams would just switch hunt him to death. His shot selection stink and even when he makes a good pass he never seems to hit a dude in his shooting pocket. DS is a much better player IMO: better shot selection and defense more then make up for JC better outside shooting
I think we can forgive JC he was a young guy and it was his first time in a playoff run. One thing I've learned about NBA players is to give them some grace for mistakes they made when they were young as they are maturing and evolving as players. Jaylen Brown averaged 6.6 ppg in his rookie year and now he's a superstar with Boston and dropped a 40 on us few days ago. Randle is close to being an MVP candidate. Kuz has developed a nice all around game. With the right situations, these guys can make mistakes but also blossom and grow as players. I see JC improving like crazy and I think he will be a big time player in the playoffs this year for the Jazz. Hopefully not against us
Dennis taking over at the end of the game was thrilling. He had freedom get what he wanted in offense and he knew it. Hubie Brown nearly had a meltdown after Dennis sent it to OT
Certainly. The Lakers have been drafting well for years, but they only get credit for the late round draft picks. Late round draft picks get a lot of attention because are often instant impact players. The difference with the lottery picks is they're often guys who need 4-5 years of seasoning to become the players they are projected to be. Randle, Ingram, Russell are all hits. Ball has his struggles but he's far from a bust.
Great game from Schroder. I’ve been down on him for his crap games with lots of TO’s so I’ve got to give him credit when it’s due. He was pretty sensational last night and certainly helped us win. I’d still let him go rather than pay him big money but this was a nice showing that I hope will foreshadow what’s to come from him in the playoffs.
Dennis is so important and valuable to our attempt to repeat and win the championship again this year. If we succeed it’s a win win all the way around. And he comes away with a ring and secures the kind of contract he wants on the Knicks or another team (not as likely). Next year THT and AC in that order of importance, as a dual signing will be even more important. Certainly no knock on Dennis. This guy is 100% effort every night and fearless. A bulldog on defense who bothers and hardly ever looks overmatched against much larger players. Just like Bradley last year, probably with even more heart if there were a way to measure that. Leaves it all on the floor every game like 24.
Hmm. Not that impressed since we lost three games and even tonight we coughed up a 16 point lead to one of the worst teams in the league. Schroder turned the ball over two plays in a row while that happened. He had a good game but I’m not that excited. If he plays great against the Wiz with their dynamic duo back court of Russ and Beal then I’ll give him some credit.
He's averaged 1.8 TOs per game the last 5 games playing well over 30 mins a game. He's 2.7 TOs a game on 32 minutes on the season. Lebron is 3.7 on 33.7 minutes. Nothing whack about his TO ratio, he had a bad 2-play sequence that's all. BTW, The Knicks apparently are interested in Lonzo Ball #1 @ PG so that might be good for us, don't know. If Ball goes there (which I could see his dad pushing for), that takes away the biggest suitor for Schroder.
ball's restricted, though, right? he'll be a tough get unless ny wants to wildly overpay. chicago/dal/ny will probably all kick tires/make offers on schroder, but i'm not sure any of them makes the kind of offer he's already turned down, tbh. i think they told his agent that just to keep him from signing an extension and to keep their own options open.
There are lots of mixed opinions on Schroder and it will be interesting to see if there will be a poll up soon regarding whether the Lakers should keep or move on from Schroder. But what I will say is he's done a great job without AD+Bron being on the team. Imagine how awful the offense would be if the Lakers still had Danny Green and no Schroder. It's quite an achievement for Schroder to play as hard as he does and still keep the Lakers in a decent spot considering the odds. I fully expected the Lakers to be in the 7th or 8th seed and likely battling a play-in tournament scenario but props to Schroder for playing hard and being available. What I will say is Lonzo Ball is someone who I would rather have because he's learned to play off the ball, is shooting the ball really well on high volume, and IMO, is still one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. I think the Pelicans is a horrible fit for him because it seems the Pelicans are more interested in Ingram and Zion and that has got to hurt Zo's confidence a bit considering he's still a young player. With LaMelo gaining all the attention, I'm sure Zo is taking it serious and wants to prove himself. I mean, Zo is a better rebounder, passer, defender, and shooter than Schroder. The only issue with Zo is he's not great at attacking the basket and drawing fouls which is why Schroder can provide upside. Plus, Zo is 6'6. You can switch him from 1-3 and wouldn't have an issue defensively or offensively.
THT + Caruso with continued improvement >>>> Schroder with salary he wants, or even money aside. No matter what happens in playoffs. If he helps in big way us to win it, he’ll deserve what he wants and we can’t afford it.
