Former Los Angeles Laker Metta Sandiford-Artest (formerly Metta World Peace and Ron Artest) thinks the addition of point guard Dennis Schroder will pay off for LA in the long term. The 2-time NBA champion predicted back-to-back championships in a now-protected tweet.
“Dennis almost guarantees a repeat for the Lakers,” wrote Sandiford-Artest according to Lakers Daily. “Please don’t get mad at me. I’m just saying. I’m just a fan watching.”
Schroder was a sixth man of the year candidate during his tenure with the Oklahoma City Thunder, averaging 17 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists with the club. Over the 2020 offseason, the Lakers traded for Schroder, dealing Danny Green to the Thunder in exchange for the 7-year guard.
So far in three games with the Lakers, Schroder has proven valuable, putting up 6 assists and 6 rebounds to go along with his 14.3 points per game. Finally earning a starting spot with the reigning champion Lakers, seems to be the shot in the arm LA needed after a COVID-19 shortened offseason.
With the departure of Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley in free agency, the Lakers needed a new look for their frontcourt, and they decided to acquire Schroder and defense-oriented guard Wesley Matthews. It will be interesting to see if LA can maintain their dominance despite the lack of rest compared to other teams.
Sandiford-Artest seems to think the Lakers have already found that spark. A 2010 Laker champion himself, the 6’6” small forward knows a thing or two about winning, we’ll all have to wait for the postseason to find out.
