OKC Thunder: A look at the clutch time killers performances with new teams
Schroder stay in LA may be short-lived:
Although Dennis Schroder meshed quickly with his new squad on the court all may not be well in the land of stars.
Last season Schroder came off the bench for the OKC Thunder but many believe the secret and success of the club’s clutch time crew lay in Billy Donovan using the three point guard lineup of Schroder, Gilgeous-Alexander and Paul in concert with Gallinari and Adams.
Schroder is starting for the Lakers which affords LeBron James another scoring and playmaking option. Although their offense isn’t what analysts believe is their strength. Rather, it’s the defensive ability of the Lakers and in particular their starting group.
| Season | Tm | G | MP | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | 2PA | 2P% | eFG% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | OKC | 65 | 30.8 | 14.8 | .469 | 5.0 | .385 | 9.8 | .513 | .534 | 3.6 | .839 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 0.7 | 18.9 |
| 2020-21 | LAL | 44 | 31.8 | 12.2 | .433 | 3.2 | .321 | 9.0 | .472 | .475 | 4.6 | .841 | 3.5 | 5.0 | 1.2 | 15.4 |
| Career | 540 | 26.0 | 12.2 | .436 | 3.4 | .336 | 8.9 | .474 | .482 | 2.9 | .829 | 2.9 | 4.6 | 0.8 | 14.2 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/2/2021.
Schroder may be starting but his shot attempts are down as is his scoring efficiency. One noticeable difference is he’s taking fewer perimeter attempts (5.0 to 3.2) but he’s also shooting well below last season’s average of 38.5 percent (down to 32.1 percent).
This may be due to fewer touches affecting his rhythm, but his efficiency is down in two of the three areas on the court.
The bigger issue for the enigmatic point guard is his satisfaction in LA. At 27, he’s just beginning to hit his prime and as such is looking for a quality contract featuring term and money.
The Lakers offered Schroder a four-year $84 million contract extension. Schroder declined the offer hoping to garner more this offseason.
The issue isn’t that he turned it down since that’s all the Lakers could offer given the CBA rules based on current contracts. Initially, the German said he wanted to remain in LA for a long time. But, the marriage may not be as solid at this stage given the Lakers offered him in trade packages at the deadline indicating they aren’t willing to meet his desired contract demands.
At the end of the day, Schroder may end up with a ring this season but sporting another jersey to start next season.