Lakers Rumors: Dennis Schroder's On-Court Play Frustrated Some in Organization

Guard Dennis Schroder reportedly didn't have full support within the Los Angeles Lakers organization this season.

According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, Schroder's on-court play "frustrated some in the organization" during the 2020-21 campaign.

The Lakers hoped to repeat as NBA champions after adding Schroder, Montrezl Harrell, Marc Gasol and Andre Drummond to the core of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but they were instead ousted by the second-seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Shelburne noted that Schroder didn't make the best first impression in L.A., as he made it clear that he wanted to start after the Lakers acquired him from the Oklahoma City Thunder despite the fact that he excelled off the bench in OKC.

Also, the Lakers reportedly included Schroder in trade discussions with the Toronto Raptors at the deadline in an effort to acquire point guard Kyle Lowry after Schroder turned down multiple contract extension offers from the organization.

While the Lakers ended up keeping Schroder, and he played a key role in keeping them afloat while both LeBron James and Anthony Davis were out because of injury, he twice missed time due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

Per Shelburne, Schroder told a German news outlet that he decided against getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

The 27-year-old veteran put up respectable numbers in 61 regular-season games with 15.4 points, 5.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. Despite starting and playing more minutes this season, Schroder's scoring numbers dipped from 18.9 per game in 2019-20, as he took on a supporting role when James and Davis were healthy.

The bigger issue is that Schroder was far less efficient, as he shot 46.9 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from deep in 2019-20 compared to 43.7 percent from the floor and 33.5 percent from beyond the arc this season.

Schroder struggled even more in the playoffs, averaging 14.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steal over six games, while shooting 40.0 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from three-point range.

The Lakers badly needed Schroder to step up in Game 5 with the series tied 2-2 since Davis was out with a groin injury.

Instead, Schroder went 0-for-9 from the field and finished with no points in a 30-point loss that pushed L.A. to the brink of elimination.

Schroder is set to hit free agency this offseason, and it is quite possible the Lakers will let him walk given how disappointing their 2020-21 season was.

If the Lakers front office believes it needs to make some changes to the supporting cast around James and Davis, letting Schroder leave in free agency and either signing or trading for a replacement would perhaps be the easiest way to make that happen.