Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
The struggling Los Angeles Lakers could get a big boost to their depth with two key offseason additions returning to practice and preparing to make their season debuts.
It’s been a rough start for the Lakers, sitting at 3-10 and near the bottom of the Western Conference standings. The reasons for their struggles are myriad but a lack of depth has certainly played a part. Only one player (Austin Reaves) has appeared in all 13 games so far and Darvin Ham has already tried nine different starting lineups.
With four of their next five games against teams who are currently out of the playoff race, the Lakers desperately need to start turning things around and it sounds like they might have some reinforcements coming.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Dennis Schroder and Thomas Bryant practiced Wednesday and could be getting closer to making their season debuts.
How will Dennis Schroder and Thomas Bryant help the Lakers?
Neither Schroder nor Bryant is a game-changing 3-point shooter but the Lakers are in dire need of anyone who can make perimeter shots and put pressure on the defense. Schroder hit 34.4 percent of his 3s last season and gives the Lakers another on-ball creator to cycle into the rotation. Bryant only played 27 games last season after returning from an ACL injury but he made 41.1 percent on about two 3-point attempts per game over a 56-game stretch with the Wizards from 2019-2021.
Thomas is also a versatile pick-and-roll threat who could add dynamism to a Lakers’ lineup that desperately needs some secondary scoring threats. Bryant has also played a lot of center in his career and could help save Anthony Davis some wear and tear on the defensive end without limiting things at the other end of the floor.