The Los Angeles Lakers made another addition over the weekend as the team agreed to sign point guard Dennis Schroder on a one-year deal. This marks a return to the franchise for Schroder, who had a solid season with the Lakers in 2020-21, but ultimately didn’t quite live up to expectations and would leave in the offseason.
Schroder spent last year with the Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets where he was again solid, but it was his performance this summer during EuroBasket for his native Germany that really stood out. Schroder averaged 22.1 points and 7.1 assists in leading Germany to a third-place finish and catching the eye of many NBA teams.
Schroder would decide to return to the Lakers, marking the latest player to return to the team in hopes of making a bigger impact than his initial run. And according to Dan Woike of the L.A. Times, the Lakers believe Schroder can be much like Dwight Howard was in his return to the organization in 2019-20:
Sources familiar with the decision to add Schroder said his attitude this summer playing for the German national team in the European championships, where he’s averaged more than 21 points and seven assists, made the Lakers comfortable with bringing him back into the organization. Multiple sources cited the success Dwight Howard had with the 2019-20 championship team as an example of a player’s successful return to the organization with a new approach they hope can be mirrored with Schroder.
Howard’s return to the Lakers was truly a remarkable story as he would play a huge role in the team winning the 2020 NBA Championship. While the expectations for these Lakers are much lower, Schroder coming back with an improved attitude, and going from starter to an off-the-bench role could pay great dividends.
The main concern for Schroder’s return is the extremely crowded Lakers backcourt. How new coach Darvin Ham will figure out minutes for Schroder, Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley, Austin Reaves, Lonnie Walker IV and Kendrick Nunn is unclear and will undoubtedly lead to some small perimeter lineups. But the potential is there for Schroder to make a big impact for this Lakers team this season.
LeBron James happy to have Dennis Schroder back with Lakers
One player who is glad to see Schroder back in purple and gold is Lakers superstar LeBron James.
James would regularly heap praise on the point guard during his first stint with the Lakers and he took to social media to express his joy at his return.
LeBron posted on Instagram that he is “so damn happy” Schroder is back with the Lakers. Hopefully this excitement will lead to some great moments on the court for the two.
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