The Lebron Thread | 2021 & Offseason

[LikeABosh]

Catch-and-shoot 3's last season

Green: 36.9% on 272 attempts

Schroder: 41.4% on 273 attempts

Matthews: 37.7% on 242 attempts

Obviously not the biggest sample size and we have seen Green with some ridiculous percentages before (47.4% with Toronto), but I wouldn't be too worried about the loss of spacing if you also nab Matthews

[nzahir]

Is Kuzma safe to you guys?

He is not currently very valuable unless 1 of AD or Lebron are sitting, which may be more common this year

He still has size and continues to improve on D

His shooting needs to get more consistent though

Not sure if there is a cheap 3 and d guy who we could move him (and filler if needed) for

[Dupp]

Green was most likely gonna be better this season too. Contract year green. Trading him with a pick for a worse player? Ugh

[therealbig3]

Kuzma sucks. I don't think he's anything more than mediocre at best, but usually bad.

This is a great move. Schroder has developed into a really good 3pt shooter (39% from deep last year). And he's always been a talented playmaker with the ball in his hands, I think he more than makes up for the potential losses of Rondo/Bradley/KCP.

[Fadeaway_J]

Is Kuzma safe to you guys?

He is not currently very valuable unless 1 of AD or Lebron are sitting, which may be more common this year

He still has size and continues to improve on D

His shooting needs to get more consistent though

Not sure if there is a cheap 3 and d guy who we could move him (and filler if needed) for

Trading away Green's big salary would appear to make him safe more than anything else.

[limbo]

Rondo is most likely gone

As for Caruso, I'm not sure why you think Green is a better fit. That's 2 guards who can't dribble and I always felt that was a pretty big roster flaw

Oh, if they aren't looking to resign Rondo this deal makes a lot more sense, since that leaves a big hole in the playmaking department again which they would need to fill (hence why they're looking at options like Schroeder)

I don't like the Caruso and Schroeder fit on offense because neither are really good at catch and shoot, while Green is (in theory, he was missing a lot of his shots this season). Also Green is a better fit on defense because of his size you can stick him on guys like Kawhi, Luka etc. Schroeder is not a good defender and Caruso can only guard up to mostly SG.

Anyway, the plan is most likely going to be starting Schroeder (with KCP, LeBron, AD + Center), so it's not as big of an issue. Still, the Lakers need to bring in a Danny Green type wing replacement, and i'm not very high on Matthews personally.

[LikeABosh]

I don't like the Caruso and Schroeder fit on offense because neither are really good at catch and shoot

I posted the stats for Schroder and he actually had a very good season for catch-and-shoot 3's. Good percentage with plenty of volume

The year before he was acceptable. Anything with the Hawks he was pretty bad though. So we'll see if he has actually improved or the last 2 years are outliers

[dcstanley]

We can't evaluate this move until we see what other moves they have lined up. Losing Green isn't ideal but if this trade is a pathway to acquiring Ibaka then it is hard to argue against it. There are players on the market that can replicate Green's production for a fraction of the price.

[Greatness]

You guys seriously think Green is a better player than Schroder? Jesus lol

[nzahir]

Rondo is most likely gone

As for Caruso, I'm not sure why you think Green is a better fit. That's 2 guards who can't dribble and I always felt that was a pretty big roster flaw

Oh, if they aren't looking to resign Rondo this deal makes a lot more sense, since that leaves a big hole in the playmaking department again which they would need to fill (hence why they're looking at options like Schroeder)

I don't like the Caruso and Schroeder fit on offense because neither are really good at catch and shoot, while Green is (in theory, he was missing a lot of his shots this season). Also Green is a better fit on defense because of his size you can stick him on guys like Kawhi, Luka etc. Schroeder is not a good defender and Caruso can only guard up to mostly SG.

Anyway, the plan is most likely going to be starting Schroeder (with KCP, LeBron, AD + Center), so it's not as big of an issue. Still, the Lakers need to bring in a Danny Green type wing replacement, and i'm not very high on Matthews personally.

And Rondo and AC were a good fit?

Wes would be a good replacement for DG

Just not sure how much he wants

I think we can keep KCP honestly

Which means we need a stretch big, another defensive wing, and try to keep Dwight.

Not sure if that is all possible though

[limbo]

I don't like the Caruso and Schroeder fit on offense because neither are really good at catch and shoot

I posted the stats for Schroder and he actually had a very good season for catch-and-shoot 3's. Good percentage with plenty of volume

The year before he was acceptable. Anything with the Hawks he was pretty bad though. So we'll see if he has actually improved or the last 2 years are outliers

Career outlier year. Not saying he hasn't improved as a shooter, he evidently has, but the jury is still out to some extent because he hasn't been doing it long enough for me to feel too confident.

Anyway, i like Schroeder as a player, even back in his Atlanta days where he rated poor across most metrics, there was raw potential there offensively due to how ridiculously quick this dude is.

If it weren't for Rondo's magical ascension in the Playoffs this move would've been seen as a no-brainer. Even with Rondo coming up clutch in the PS, i still agree with this move. You shouldn't overpay for a 34-year old, chronically injured player that only potentially shows up in the Playoffs.

With LeBron/AD/Schroeder the offensive core is pretty much set. The ball will be in the hands of those three 90% of the time, and now you're basically looking to fill the rest of the roster with people that can shoot and defend.

Kuzma is still the biggest question mark for me. I'd be fine with trading him for a more proven player, but i also wouldn't be in a rush to do so... If the Lakers can build up his value a bit in the first half of the season, that would be ideal.

[RCM88x]

Rondo was a negative on d...

Avery will likely be back I think

I like Avery on defense, but mind you he can't guard guys who are too much bigger and sometimes he fouls or gets burnt too much because of his aggressive defense

He definitely wasn't a negative in the playoffs.

I think chances of Bradley being back are like 20-80.

His defense was not very good from a numbers wise on D, huge negative on defense on RAPTOR

From my eye test (very tough to do, especially with no film):

I would still see him get destroyed by screens and cause the defender in a bad 1 on 2 scenario

He was decent at times on ball pressure, especially vs Denver that 1 game where we almost stole the game late, but still lazy on d it seems like and gets crushed by picks

And why a 20-80 for Avery?

He backed out of the bubble bc of Covid despite all the precautions. Covid is probably a bigger threat now than it was in July and fewer precautions are being taken. Why would he agreed to play? Especially when he has a player option and it's only worth 5 Mil?

[dreamshake]

Schroeder is not a good defender and Caruso can only guard up to mostly SG.

That used to be true, but from everything I saw last year and everything I've read from okc fans, he was a great defender last year

https://www.welcometoloudcity.com/2020/5/31/21271703/film-analysis-dennis-schroder

The eye test indicates that Schroder has been an elite defender this season, but the numbers back up this assertion. Schroder has posted a defensive rating of 103; this is the best rating out of all guards who have played at least 45 games and 28 minutes per night. Schroder’s defensive work has put him into the upper echelon of defenders at the guard spots. It is not a stretch to say that Dennis Schroder has been as good as Kyle Lowry or Marcus Smart this season in terms of stopping opposing players. The improvement on the less glamorous end of the floor has meant that Schroder is fourth in Defensive Win Shares among all guards in the NBA

Been seeing lots of okc fan comments like this:

Thunder fan here.

One of our best defender last season. He made a great leap in that department. He will pick up the ball handler full court all game long just to annoy them.

He's also a mismatch for any team, as hes super **** fast.

He shot 39% on threes, 5 a game. They also have to respect his 3ball or he will punish them. As soon as they close out, he can lob it to AD or find an open man, easily.

You're gonna love him.

Now I'm not saying I agree that he's Marcus Smart or Kyle Lowry defensively, but I don't think it's true that hes a bad defender.

[nzahir]

He definitely wasn't a negative in the playoffs.

I think chances of Bradley being back are like 20-80.

His defense was not very good from a numbers wise on D, huge negative on defense on RAPTOR

From my eye test (very tough to do, especially with no film):

I would still see him get destroyed by screens and cause the defender in a bad 1 on 2 scenario

He was decent at times on ball pressure, especially vs Denver that 1 game where we almost stole the game late, but still lazy on d it seems like and gets crushed by picks

And why a 20-80 for Avery?

He backed out of the bubble bc of Covid despite all the precautions. Covid is probably a bigger threat now than it was in July and fewer precautions are being taken. Why would he agreed to play? Especially when he has a player option and it's only worth 5 Mil?

Fair points, but we also more about the virus

Learned that it is less deadly as previously thought, less harmful for younger people, and more therapeutics now

Yes the spread is now at its worst since the first few months, but we have learned more

If Avery wants to opt out to not play, sure that makes sense

But I don't see him opting out to go to another team, not going to get over 5M from anyone

[nzahir]

Schroeder is not a good defender and Caruso can only guard up to mostly SG.

That used to be true, but from everything I saw last year and everything I've read from okc fans, he was a great defender last year

https://www.welcometoloudcity.com/2020/5/31/21271703/film-analysis-dennis-schroder

The eye test indicates that Schroder has been an elite defender this season, but the numbers back up this assertion. Schroder has posted a defensive rating of 103; this is the best rating out of all guards who have played at least 45 games and 28 minutes per night. Schroder’s defensive work has put him into the upper echelon of defenders at the guard spots. It is not a stretch to say that Dennis Schroder has been as good as Kyle Lowry or Marcus Smart this season in terms of stopping opposing players. The improvement on the less glamorous end of the floor has meant that Schroder is fourth in Defensive Win Shares among all guards in the NBA

Been seeing lots of okc fan comments like this:

Thunder fan here.

One of our best defender last season. He made a great leap in that department. He will pick up the ball handler full court all game long just to annoy them.

He's also a mismatch for any team, as hes super **** fast.

He shot 39% on threes, 5 a game. They also have to respect his 3ball or he will punish them. As soon as they close out, he can lob it to AD or find an open man, easily.

You're gonna love him.

Now I'm not saying I agree that he's Marcus Smart or Kyle Lowry defensively, but I don't think it's true that hes a bad defender.

His defensive metrics are mostly all pretty positive

Also looked pretty good from when I watched him

Cranjis is putting up some info on him on twitter on him and I bet will do a deep dive soon

Rondo played much better than anyone thought was possible, he was a completely different guy

Can I trust him to do that again and for AD to get that hot from mid range? And competition will be tougher this year too with GS coming back, LAC possibly not choking, and the East adding up talent (MIL will try to improve, PHI?, and BKN is healthy)

[Dupp]

There’s still a lot they don’t know about covid and it looks like it can have long term respiratory effects for young people. It’s more lethal for elder people but that doesn’t really mean it’s fine to get for a young person.



I definitely had t thought of AB not coming back but it makes sense since it’s gonna be less safe than the bubble was.

[JulesWinnfield]

Love the Schroeder move. Absolutely love it. Love even more that it means that the move for Derozan (who would have been an incredibly poor fit) probably won’t happen now. They desperately needed another ball handler and I wasn’t all that high on the idea of “playoff rondo” magically showing up after being horrifyingly bad all season (and frankly for all of rondos playoff effectiveness he still posted a negative on/off in the postseason).

Can’t wait to see what else they have lined up. If they play their cards right this team could be lethal

[LikeABosh]

(and frankly for all of rondos playoff effectiveness he still posted a negative on/off in the postseason).

Agreed. He certainly had his moments, but I'm not convinced replacing him is some tall task

[LikeABosh]

You guys seriously think Green is a better player than Schroder? Jesus lol

We're usually very critical of anything the Lakers do. Give it some time and everybody will warm up to Schroder

[JulesWinnfield]

I don’t get all the Danny Green love. He’s an aging wing who frankly has been a pretty average 3p shooter for the past 5 years save for the one year in Toronto, and that’s all he adds on the offensive end. A floor spacer who quietly has been living off reputation for a while, and he has been prone to some brutal slumps as we saw in the postseason. They may miss him some on the defensive end but it’s not going to move the needle. Schroeder is just hands down a better player and fills a need for a secondary ball handler when Lebron needs a blow