While Dennis Schröder was out, the Lakers went 0-4. Since he’s returned, they’ve won two games in a row. While that isn’t grounds to campaign for him to win MVP, it does mean it’s time to appreciate how much he helps this team and how important he is, especially with Anthony Davis set to miss at least five more games. - So on today’s episode of “Lakers, Explained," that’s exactly what co-hosts Harrison Faigen and Anthony Irwin did. Did they undervalue how important to this team Dennis is before? Is he really as helpful as he seemed to be on both ends? And why haven’t the Lakers extended his contract yet? They got into all that and more. - But before they got to that, Anthony and Harrison wanted to address the latest free agency rumors about Alex Caruso, who reportedly may get offered the full mid-level exception. How much would Anthony and Harrison pay for Caruso, and do they think the Lakers will be able to keep both him and Schröder? They debated all that — and discussed the future of breakout Lakers star Damian Jones — and more on our latest show. - You can follow Harrison on Twitter at @hmfaigen, and Anthony at @AnthonyIrwinLA. - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices