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Dennis Schroder says he wants to extend his deal with the Lakers. Calls the Lakers a "hell of an organization." "I would love to. It's just got to be fair on both sides."

— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) December 26, 2020

Quick explainer on the Dennis Schroder contract extension dilemma for you night owls.

– Why the Lakers can’t pay him properly until Feb. 16.
– What they can pay him then, and why he’ll likely sign in-season.
– Benefits of waiting until the offseason.https://t.co/Et1Y5mUc3Z

— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) December 26, 2020

It’s not about where Anthony Davis is now, but how he plans to separate himself from the rest of the NBA elite. @RobMahoney: https://t.co/tkXJCEUqGN

— The Ringer (@ringer) December 26, 2020

After years of flashing his immense potential, Davis may finally be ready to showcase the total package this season.

. . .

After all, most of the engineering needed to advance Davis’s career is already done. Last summer, he straightened out his footwork (and thus his entire shot) with Mike Penberthy, a former Pelicans assistant whom Davis sought out for help and later recommended to the Lakers. (Although that kind of referral goes a long way, the organization was probably already familiar with Penberthy from his stint coming off the bench for L.A. in the Shaq and Kobe era.) Now the two work together daily, or as close to daily as the NBA schedule allows. Penberthy helped Davis iron out some of the inconsistencies in his form, from the angle of his toes up through the way the ball rolled off his fingers. The goal, as with any shooter, is to reach a place of infinite repeatability. Of mass production. After a drawn-out first season with the Lakers, Davis is on his way. The teammates and coaches in his ear tell him to keep shooting.

…

The open-ended nature of Davis’s game is what makes him a compelling MVP candidate. For most bigs, long-range shooting is just another way to stay on the floor as the game gets smaller and faster. It’s a safety net. But for Davis, the threat of the 3 intensifies everything that already makes him so dangerous. When Vogel said that Davis’s shooting helps the Lakers win, he wasn’t just referring to some abstract benefit of spacing the floor that could lift up the team’s supporting cast. Davis pushing his range helps the Lakers win because it makes him undeniable. It takes the desperate plans of desperate teams and artfully deconstructs them—first with a turnaround jumper, then with a face-up drive, and finally, with the gutting deflation of a stepback 3. Then, when the opposing team reaches the end of its optimism, they will resort to loading up on Davis in some self-destructive way, assuming, of course, that they aren’t already doing the same with LeBron.

Los Angeles Lakers: Newcomers destroy the Dallas Mavericks, 5 Lessons https://t.co/sdaFKW8TY3

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) December 26, 2020

Luka Doncic may be the NBA’s future and a potential MVP to some, but this game showed undeniable evidence that the NBA symbol of excellence is in Los Angeles. Taking it further, the possible replacement to LeBron James’ spot as the NBA’s best player might be one seat on the bench next to LeBron in Anthony Davis.

On Christmas, the Lakers made the best offensive team of last season look second-rate. And they're just getting started: https://t.co/urWIXWJfhj

— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) December 26, 2020

A 138-115 Christmas Day victory over the Dallas Mavericks rang glad tidings for the Lakers offensively, as they rolled over their counterparts with brisk shooting figures and a variety of looks. What might be most frightening for the NBA in this early stage is how balanced the Lakers were on their way to victory: Five Lakers scored at least 13 points, and no one scored more than Anthony Davis, who had 28.

Schröder and Harrell shine as supplementary scorers

When the Lakers reshaped their roster this past offseason, this was the type of gaudy performance they envisioned: producing 138 points with four players scoring 18-plus each: Anthony Davis with 28 points, LeBron James with 22, Montrezl Harrell with 22 and Dennis Schröder with 18.

As James said postgame, last season’s team had two heavy hitters in James and Davis, with complementary pieces that could step up when necessary. But the offense was often predicated on James, Davis or Rajon Rondo creating opportunities for others.

But this season, the Lakers have added Schröder and Harrell, the top-two finishers for Sixth Man of the Year. The two can coast into 15 or more points. Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the third and fourth options last season, have now slid down into their more appropriate spots as the fifth and sixth options on the roster, respectively.