That’s Tuff: Shining the Light on Dennis Schröder

Coming into the season, the Lakers were the favorites to win the championship again and go back to back, but injuries have played a huge part in the struggles they have had the past few months.

Their two stars, LeBron James and Anthony Davis have missed significant time recovering from their respective injuries, and the Lakers have been fighting to stay afloat in the highly competitive Western Conference.

If there has been one person who has emerged as one of the leaders of the team and one of the most consistent players all year, it would be Dennis Schröder.

The 6-foot-3 point guard is in his first year with the Purple and Gold, but he has shown Laker fans why he was a sought-after player in the offseason.

This season, he has played the 3rd most games on the team, only missing four games which already shows his health, but what has been most impressive has been his toughness, tenacity, and effort on both ends of the floor each night. You would see him night in and night out constantly pressuring the opposing guards, and diving on the floor to grab loose balls.

With his toughness on the defensive end, he is often tasked to stop the best guards in the league like Steph Curry, Kyrie Irving, and Damian Lillard.

He may not be an All-Star, but he does not back down and holds his own every night. His defensive ability is certainly something that the Lakers will need as they push for another title.

Being the starting point guard of the team, he has shown his playmaking ability all season averaging almost 6 assists per game, 2nd best on the team behind only LeBron. He loves to get his teammates going, getting them easy baskets both around the rim and at the three-point line. For the past couple of months with James out, he has handled most of the ball-handling duties for the Lakers, and he has not disappointed.

With his 15.5 ppg average, Dennis is also the 3rd highest scoring player on the roster after the two All-Stars. He usually tries to get the whole team involved, giving each player their touches, but when the time comes to get a crucial basket, he can definitely get buckets. He is excellent at blowing by his defenders and finishing around the rim, and his outside shot has improved the past couple of years as well, making him a much tougher guy to defend.

Dennis Schröder was a runner-up for the Sixth Man of the Year Award last season, falling behind his now teammate Montrezl Harrell. There were debates at the beginning of the season whether the German guard would start or come off the bench for Frank Vogel.

Now that the regular season has almost concluded, Dennis surely has shown everybody why he deserves that starting spot.