The NBA regular season has played 1/3 of the schedule, and the trading market has gradually begun to be active. On the one hand, some teams need to be rebuilt, and on the other hand, after the early season operation, some teams need to optimize their lineups. As a favorite team to win the championship, the Lakers' every move is naturally also watched by fans.
Among the players associated with the Lakers this time, there is one player who deserves everyone's attention, that is, the Pistons' Grant. This time, let's analyze whether Grant matches the Lakers, and whether the Lakers trade is difficult. Aim to rush the crown! The Lakers trading object is out, the Pistons supermarket is open, and Grant matches the Lakers system!
First, the Piston supermarket opened, and the Lakers have asked for the price rand
Since the Pistons embarked on the road to reconstruction, in fact, people sometimes do not understand what their choice is. In the long run, though, the piston's purpose is to rebuild. For the Pistons, an unattractive small-market team, their rebuilding can only be done by swinging it. The Pistons also let the wind out, and the only non-sale on the team was Cunningham, which meant that other players could trade. The opening of the Piston supermarket will naturally attract everyone's attention.
If there's one of the most tradeable players in the Pistons, it's Grant. Grant is a player who is interesting, and the Attitude of the Pistons towards him has changed dramatically. When he was first recruited from the Nuggets, Grant wanted to be the boss of the team, and the Pistons also gave Grant a chance. But the Pistons are a team that everyone knows that they only see Grant as the top player in the transition stage, and now with Cunningham, they have changed their minds.
As far as Grant's age is concerned, he is not suitable for cultivation as the core of the team, especially the rebuilding core. Grant, who was born in 1994, turns 27 this year, and the rebuilding cycle of the team is too long, and it is too long to take him as the core. But for mature teams, Grant is a good choice. Grant is on the rise on the one hand, and on the other hand, he is a good instant combat force. Of course, the team position that best fits Grant is the second or third boss, after all, he does not have the temperament of the team boss.
Regarding Grant's trade, NBA celebrity Shams Charania reported that he is one of the most popular players, the Lakers are the main suitors, and Grant's injury will not affect the trading market. Judging from Shams's statement, the Lakers have begun to ask for prices. For the Pistons, they will not make a decision so quickly at the moment, after all, they have to wait for the price to sell, and the real trading market still has great potential, or wait and see.
Second, why did the Lakers ask the price rand? Weak flanks become key
The reason why the Lakers will ask the price of The Rand is mainly because the current situation of the team determines that they want to do so, and the weakness of the flank is the key. This offseason, the Lakers are one of the larger teams in the free agent market, but from the operation at that time, it laid the groundwork for the Lakers' struggles in the early part of the season. We do not talk about the run-in problems of Lakers Westbrook and James and others, the most important thing is that the team's various positions are unevenly distributed, which makes Vogel feel very uncomfortable when lining up.
We can look at the distribution of Lakers players, the center position is Howard and Jordan Jr., the big forward position is thick eyebrows, the flanks are Ariza, Anthony, James, and then the rest are basically backcourt players. This scene has been seen by everyone, but this season it has become a crowded backcourt position. Last season was crowded with insiders that the team didn't know who to use. When a team has such a situation, it means that there is already a problem.
In the absence of Ariza, the flank position is carried by James alone. If playing a small lineup, James will sometimes rotate to the center position. Then the flanks will be shorter, and Vogel has sacrificed a three-back formation in some squad tests. In fact, this is the helplessness of the current situation of the lineup and the imbalance of reserves in various positions, so that Vogel cannot carry out normal rotation operations, and the combat strength cannot be tapped for a long time.
If James can be 5 years younger, then the flanks are not stockpiled. Today's James is about to turn 37 years old, and he is no longer young. For the Lakers, james can't be consumed for a long time. And when playing a small lineup, you need to have a certain height support. The Lakers' opponents in the same city, the Clippers, are playing a small lineup, but their frontcourt position is balanced in height, so if they play like this, they are not tight, while the Lakers are different.
Third, Grant is very compatible with the Lakers system and can plug the team's loopholes
The Lakers' favorite object, Grant, is very compatible with the Lakers' system from the perspective of his playing style. So far this season, Grant has averaged 20.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, shooting 41.4 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from three-point range. As far as these basic statistics are concerned, the shooting rate is not as good as in the Nuggets, and the shooting efficiency is even worse, mainly because he cannot digest so many balls well after becoming the main attacker.
Grant became famous in the late Thunder and Nuggets periods, and he can play without the ball and carry the ball. We can look at some of Grant's stats this season and we know what he does. Grant has received 33.8 percent of the ball and shot 33.8 percent this season, averaging 5.4 shots per game and shooting 34.9 percent from the field. The number of assisted shots reached 95, compared to 63 shots without assists. Of course, of the 42 shots from outside the three-point line, 39 of the 42 shots were hit by assists.
On the other hand, Grant can also attack with the ball, which is even more valuable. As far as Grant's means of ending is concerned, it also has a certain value of exploration. Grant can play the back jumper like a defender, as well as some jump shots and layups. Grant's number of jump shots has reached 246 this season and his basket counts 109. But let's not forget that Grant's projection area is very wide, without any projection dead ends, which is more suitable for the Lakers.
If you want to give Grant a stab, it's that the defensive end is not as good as everyone thinks, or there are certain loopholes. Perhaps on a rotten team like the Pistons, Grant's efforts on the defensive end have had little effect. Among the players who are opposite Grant, their shooting percentage will increase, but it can only improve by 1.7 percentage points. Of course, when Grant defended the opposing three-pointer and defended from within 10 feet, the opponent's shooting percentage dropped a bit.
All in all, Grant is a good fit for the current Lakers, and the offensive end can make up for the gap between James and thick eyebrows, as well as make the team not too short when playing in the small lineup. What's more, Grant is in his prime and can play longer. As for the small problems on the defensive end, in Vogel's system, it will correct him very well. Kuzma's defense was criticized in the past, but Vogel built him out.
Fourth, the Lakers do not have many trading chips, and the first team becomes the main competitor
The Decision of the Lakers to target Grant is correct, but the Lakers have been ridiculed by everyone, calling it an "intentional team", to put it bluntly, it is thunder and rain. The reason why there is such a label is mainly because the Lakers are always asking for prices and have no actual action. The reason for this is simple, that is, the team does not have the right trading chips. Often this is the most embarrassing, seeing good meat on the market, and as a result, you can't eat it yourself.
As far as the Lakers' current roster is concerned, the Big Three is impossible to move, James, Davis and Westbrook are definitely the foundation of the team, and breaking them up is equivalent to negating the operation of the offseason. Among the other role players, either they are veterans with basic salaries, or their annual salaries are very small and cannot play a transaction value. Now it seems that only Tucker can move, his age is also young and valuable, the potential still needs to be further tapped, and the annual salary can make some matching.
Among the Lakers' contenders, there is one team to pay attention to, and that is the Blazers. The Trail Blazers have had a hard time saying this season, and they also need to change. Compared to what the Trailblazers can provide, the Lakers side can not be compared. The Lakers don't have much draft picks, the players are only Tucker, and the Blazers can come up with a lot of things.
Of course, how to negotiate a deal, experienced NBA managers have too many means, trading chips are only part of it. As for whether the Lakers can eventually recruit Grant, let's wait and see!
summary
The Lakers who aspire to the championship need to make changes and further optimize the lineup, after all, they want the present, in these two years can also complete the dream of the championship. Otherwise, after James really gets old, the team will have to rebuild.