The Los Angeles Lakers cannot officially complete their trade for Oklahoma City’s Dennis Schröder in exchange for Danny Green and the 28th pick until the pick is made on Wednesday evening. But since the trade is already a done deal according to Woj, it’s not too early to start breaking down what Schröder brings to the table and how he will be able to help the Lakers.

High volume pick and roll relief for LeBron James

LeBron James did an extraordinary amount of heavy lifting on the offensive end last season and it resulted in greatness for the Lakers. It also resulted in LeBron averaging over 10 assists per game for the first time in his career. But as a result of all he did, the Lakers had only one other player record over 100 pick and rolls during the regular season and playoffs, according to Synergy Sports, Rajon Rondo.

With it increasingly looking like Rondo will leave for a raise on the open market, the Lakers needed someone to soak up possessions and do so with competence. Schröder knows how to carry a load ran 472 pick and rolls in a guard-heavy offense in Oklahoma City. His efficiency ranked 78th out of 129 players who recorded 100 pick and rolls or more, which doesn’t sound super impressive but was higher than Fred Van Vleet, Mike Conley and D’Angelo Russell, making it a significant upgrade for the Lakers and it came at a pretty minimal cost.

Underrated ball pressure

Schröder isn’t known for his defense and he can tend to make mistakes but he’s an aggressive on-ball defender who can help the Lakers, especially if Avery Bradley walks away in free agency. Schröder can be a pest on the ball against elite guards and his long arms make him an improvement on Bradley, whose defense was nice but ultimately not crucial to L.A.’s success.

Schröder took the challenge in the playoffs of guarding good players, such as pressing Damian Lillard fullcourt in the 2019 playoffs. Obviously, he has his limitations and great players can only be guarded to a certain degree, but if they lose Bradley and Rondo, they’ve consolidated those two spots into a much better all-around player. In a season where they may feel the fatigue of a late championship run, Schröder gives them much-needed new blood for the title defense.

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