Rob Gray – USA Today Sports
The struggling Los Angeles Lakers could get a major boost to their depth with two major offseason additions returning to training and preparing to start their first season.
It was a rocky start for the Lakers, finishing 3-10 near the bottom of the Western standings. The reasons for their struggles are myriad but a lack of depth definitely played a part. Only one player (Austin Reeves) has appeared in all 13 matches so far, and Darvin Hamm has already tried nine different starting formations.
With four of their next five games against teams that are currently out of the playoff race, the Lakers desperately need to start turning things around and it looks like they may have some reinforcement coming.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenaminDennis Schroeder and Thomas Bryant trained on Wednesday and are likely to come close to making their season debuts.
How will Dennis Schroeder and Thomas Bryant help the Lakers?
Neither Schroeder nor Bryant are game-changing 3-point shooters, but the Lakers are desperate for someone who can make shots on the perimeter and pressure on defense. Schroeder hit 34.4 percent on triples last season and gave the Lakers another playmaker to turn around. Bryant played just 27 games last season after returning from an ACL injury, but averaged 41.1 percent on 2 3-point attempts per game over 56 games with the Wizards from 2019-2021.
Thomas is also a versatile threat that could add dynamism to a Lakers lineup that desperately needs some secondary scoring threats. Bryant has also played a huge center in his career and can help save Anthony Davis from wear and tear on the defensive end without limiting things on the other end of the floor.
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