LeBron James Says Dennis Schroder, Montrezl Harrell Add to Lakers’ ‘Firepower’
Lakers #Lakers
Ringo H.W. Chiu/Associated Press
Only two games into the regular season the reigning champion Los Angeles Lakers believe they’re better off now than they were only a few months ago when they lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy inside the NBA bubble.
The reason for that is pretty clear to LeBron James. The additions of Dennis Schroder and Montrezl Harrell, have helped Los Angeles stay balanced and come out energized after a historically short offseason.
“Their ability to score, their ability to be efficient as well, just adds to our firepower that we have,” James told reporters after defeating the Dallas Mavericks, 138-115, on Christmas. “It was great to see that tonight. They both felt and seemed comfortable with what we wanted to do and accomplish offensively. It was big for our team.”
Harrell played 28 minutes off the bench on Friday with 22 points on 13 field goal attempts to go with seven rebounds. Schroder started and added another 19 points and six assists himself.
While head coach Frank Vogel continues to tinker with the minutes for James (22 points, 10 assists) and Anthony Davis (28 points) to begin the year, the mantra inside the clubhouse seems simple enough: let the new guys lead the way.
Asked by ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, James didn’t hesitate to point out what the newest Lakers add to the team.
“A lot of energy,” James said. “A lot of energy that we needed, especially with the short layoff. They’re giving us a lot of energy, a lot of quickness, some young bodies and they’re hungry. They’re hungry to win a championship.”
Davis and James played 30 and 31 minutes, respectively on Friday.
That’s likely to fluctuate for the time being as Vogel attempts to keep his two franchise players healthy and rested after last season’s title run.
If the rotation can stay as balanced as it looked against the Mavericks—albeit a Dallas team currently missing Kristaps Porzingis—the road back to the NBA Finals may not be as bumpy as the champs previously expected.