How the Lakers Can Optimize Dennis Schröder's Need for Speed
Whether starting or coming off the bench, the shifty point guard will add a new dimension to the Lakers that they specifically, can help blossom.
Welcome to issue #23 of Throwdowns.
As of this newsletter, the Lakers will have had already completed most of their press obligations, participated in their first team practice and are only days away from their first preseason contest.
The rapid turnaround from falling confetti to another tipped ball is still jarring, but just one challenge facing the team. The other, is how successful Frank Vogel and his staff can be in once again molding a crop of new names into a selfless and collective unit. While also, identifying and optimizing individual skillsets.
Which brings us to this one. On skateboarding, going fast and being deceptive as shit.
To fully understand Dennis Schröder’s game — and what he can bring to the Lakers — one has to first grasp the manner in which he is fast.
When he blurs across the floor and the television screen, he does so with enough relative ease and craft, his athletic gifts flummox the naked eye. Even when this staple to his repertoire is circled in red ink on 29 other scouting reports.
There is no sheer explosiveness or ferocity to his engine as a Russell Westbrook. Nor does he possess the ability to conjure up a lightning strike on the hardwood like De’Aaron Fox can when he flashes by.
Instead, Schröder picks his spots. He knows he is fast, his defenders know it too. And it is this mutual understanding — within this playground — where he truly makes his speed count.
Take this early transition possession against the Clippers, namely Patrick Beverly, for example:
Schröder undoubtedly knows who the defender in front of him is. His accolades, his reputation. But he also realizes Beverly is backpedaling, and has no help behind him.
So he lines the former All First-Team Defense member up, takes aim and attacks his chest only to change course at the last second. And it is only then, he hits the jets as if picking up a Mario Kart power-up mid stride.
The ball’s journey from the opposite free-throw line to the bottom of the nylon only takes five seconds. The result is two points, and a standing ovation from his bench.
This is what separates a player who is fast, and a player who manipulates speeds. Schröder not only falls in the latter, but he torments defenders doing so.
An effortless 0-to-60 burst in which he shifts in-and-out of through an array of hesitations and stutter steps that he chases with a keen understanding of spatial awareness.
Often setting-up his defender to lean a certain direction, or hanging on a dribble just an extra step longer, Schröder carves out the areas of the floor he wants to get to. And he does so with creativity.
Once he creates separation via Inception-like warping (most often against plodding bigs) his eyes almost immediately then shoot toward the rim.
His fearlessness in attacking first and often (despite being just 6’1” and weighing 170) was honed through a childhood that revolved around skateboarding.
Thousands of pushes across German terrain helped fortify his legs. Gaps and 12-step staircases faced, and bested, built resolve. Falls, experienced both personally and off his board, made going fast not something to dread — but instead — a vehicle that felt familiar.
His destination now is no longer the end of a steep rail, but an orange cylinder. Which he consistently zooms toward with both a staggering frequency, and efficiency to boot (96th percentile in “Getting to the Rim Rating” | 87th percentile “Overall Finishing Rating” | BBall-Index).
When he laces up his sneakers and plays for the Lakers for the first time, either as a starter or reserve, Schröder will likely still be the player he has always been.
The player who has long been on the team’s radar, and the player Frank Vogel has already begun referring to as “The Speeding Bullet.”
But on a team now fresh off winning a championship, Schröder will have to adjust. As will the coaching staff and his teammates, not only to put him in the best position to succeed, but also for him to buy-in.
Bill Streicher - USA TODAY Sports | Throwdowns Illustration
The most obvious route in which to systematically do this actually does not deviate much from last season’s gameplan. In fact, Schröder’s arrival theoretically only proposes the team should make it more of a priority.
And that is to run. And run early.
Despite factors like being on the older side, potentially preserving energy during the regular season, etc, the Lakers in reality ended up being one of — if not the best —transition team in the league last year.
Transition Efficiency: 2nd
1.14 Points Per Transition Possession: 5th
Live Rebounds Pts+/100 Poss (points added via live rebounds in transition): 1st
Live Rebound Transition Efficiency: 3rd
True Shooting % On Shots Coming Within 22-18 Seconds of Shot Clock: 1st
The manner in which they accomplished this was a bit of an oxymoron however, as they were in fact not a particularly fast team in the statistical sense, but rather, a club who calculated when and how they ran.
Spearheaded by LeBron James’ mesmerizing and blistering outlet passes, the Lakers continuously were able to get shots off in early transition without necessarily exerting a lot of energy.
It’s easy to see where Schröder’s speed can specifically mesh well within the team’s transition infrastructure, an area Frank Vogel also was quick to note during his recent press junket.
"I'm thrilled about him. He's one of the fastest guys in the league. We were a great fast-breaking team last year, so I think he's only going to add to what we do in that regard.”
Between James’ anticipatory reads off of live misses and pinpoint accuracy, a simple leak-out from the guard after a missed three can more often than not result in good things.
Slotting Schröder in the open court as a wide-receiver instead of a running back, can also potentially improve his efficiency in this regard.
Although one would assume a fast player would equate to being a better transition player, this was one of the few areas of Schröder’s offensive game where he struggled.
The 27-year-old ranked only in the 36th percentile of the league in terms of his points per possession on transition chances, and among players who registered at least 100, Schröder had the 8th highest turnover rate according to the league’s tracking data.
Between having tunnel vision at times (54th percentile in “Drive Passout Rate” | BBall-Index) and getting too ambitious with his dribbling, simplifying Schröder’s role as a catch-then-attack guy could help all parties involved when it’s time to run.
It is also worth noting that Schröder is leaving a team who did not heavily invest their effort in transition as the Thunder were only 19th in the league in terms of frequency, and 29th in terms of efficiency according to Cleaning the Glass. Quite the contrast compared to Los Angeles.
Beside letting Schröder stretch his legs in transition, the other avenue the Lakers can look to exploit his foot-speed can come in the half court. Specifically off-the-ball, and via cuts.
When the team first acquired Schröder, it was heavily assumed he would fill the ball-handling and playmaking void left by Rajon Rondo. And while this likely still will be the case, playing next to the likes of James and Anthony Davis likely will mean he has to find alternative routes to score. Something his speed, and ability to create crevices to maneuver within can help with.
One potential pairing, and relationship, that can immediately blossom because of this is that of Schröder and Marc Gasol.
Despite experiencing some slippage at this stage of his career, Gasol is still a wonderful playmaker from the center spot. Which is a skillset and position Schröder found frequent success playing next to a season ago.
While not exactly the same passer or player as Gasol, Steven Adams represents a good proxy of what a potential tandem between the new teammates can look like.
It’s worth prefacing that Schröder is deceptive as shit. And because of this, he has flashed an encouraging knack for reading/reacting to moments like this on the fly. Something he can be asked to do more than ever before this season.
Let’s watch how he completely fools another elite defender in Ben Simmons on this possession.
What looks to be another ordinary baseline screen that is even accompanied with the normal hand gesture to his teammate to come through, turns into a sudden dash to the rim.
By the time Simmons or Joel Embiid can react, Schröder has already bounced it off the glass.
Like Adams does here, Gasol can serve as an excellent trigger man to find his new point guard in schemed or improvised instances. Especially when operating out of the high post, an area the Barcelona native has essentially rented property within throughout his career.
Although he has flashed the ability to be an off-ball threat as recently as last season (81st percentile in “Off Screen eFG%” / BBall-Index), Schröder has yet to make it a consistent part of his arsenal (18th percentile in Movement Attack Rate / BBall-Index).
How much success he has in this area may ultimately be up to him, as well as how the team chooses to utilize him.
It still remains to be seen how the likes of Vogel, James and Davis mesh with a dynamic guard who possesses both Schröder’s aforementioned quickness, and desire to have the ball.
The release valve aspect will likely be appreciated, especially early on during the truncated season. But, it is when the eventual warts arise that comprises must be made. That is something the Lakers had to measure into the calculus when making the deal they did.
Employing a player like Schröder does come with risk. He can be volatile on the floor, has had some not so great locker-room murmurings and simply is an ingredient the franchise has not had in years. That can be good or bad given the recipe in place.
But, one thing is for certain, Schröder is not a player shy of the moment. He understands what the Lakers’ franchise represents, and what that in turn means when it comes to expectations. For the team, and for him.
Don’t let his slender frame, his trademark blonde streak or his mischievous, yet charming smile, fool you. Behind it all is still the young kid who is hungry.
The kid who was hardened by his upbringing. The kid who lost his father at 16. The kid who faced racism and religious discrimination firsthand. The kid who skated for endless hours of the day, just trying to peddle away from everything that was crashing in behind him.
He’s still that kid.
The only difference now is he has replaced that board with a ball, and wherever he goes next, he’ll do so at his own marathon pace. Knowing he can outrun anything.
This is awesome! Great piece that is extremely well balanced with stats and film. Loved it!