1. Dennis Schroder, PG, Los Angeles Lakers
Schroder might’ve gotten into a bit of a scrum with his potential future teammates in April, and he didn’t look like himself in the postseason, but that shouldn’t completely depreciate his value, as Schroder showed over the course of the year that the Sixth Man of the Year candidate from Oklahoma City is still in there somewhere.
The Schroder that shot 40% from the field in the Lakers’ playoff series loss against Phoenix looked nothing like the guy who had his 6MOTY trophy stolen by Montrezl Harrell, nor did it look like the guy who averaged 15.4 points and 5.8 assists despite LeBron James and Anthony Davis dominating the ball.
Could Dennis Schroder improve upon 2020-21 with the Toronto Raptors?
With the Kyle Lowry situation still very much up in the air, the Raptors need to look for alternatives if he decides to bolt in the offseason. Schroder is one of the few on the market that is starter quality without requiring anything close to a max contract.
Schroder can shoot when he’s in rhythm and play terrific perimeter defense, and those two traits alone will make him a solid fit with the Raptors. He and Fred VanVleet could help usher in a new era of Raptors basketball if Lowry says goodbye.