NBA Season Preview 2021-22: 5 players with the most to prove this season

Dennis Schroder is another player whose Lakers tenure started with much promise but ended with him being the butt of many jokes. After finishing as runner-up for the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2019-20, Schroder was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. He joined the team as the perfect two-way point guard to alleviate the workload of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

For the majority of the year, Schroder was doing that. He finished the season averaging 15.4 points, 5.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 61 games. His play led to the Lakers offering him a mid-season $84 million, four-year contract extension. Schroder declined in hopes that he would continue to showcase his value and negotiate for an even bigger deal in the off-season.

Reality had different plans for Schroder. He finished his Lakers tenure riddled with injury and underwhelming playoff performance. This made Schroder go from a sought-after point guard who could negotiate a deal near $100 million to one of the last free agents signed when he inked a one-year, $5.9 million deal with the Boston Celtics.

There were plenty of jokes about Schroder whose bet on himself backfired, but his story isn’t over. As a member of the contending Celtics, Schroder is in the perfect position to improve his value. If he wants to be in a position to sign a big contract that he was once offered, he has to show that he is worth it this year.