The Lakers Chinese country
Author | Dan Devine
Translate | Charlie
Proofreading | JOGI
Image source | gettyimages.com
Vogel's biggest opponent this season will certainly be injured and a team that has undergone a drastic change of formation, but with the return of the team's injured, how much patience can we give him?
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Vogel made another adjustment before playing against the Celtics last Wednesday, putting Howard on the bench and giving Bradley a start.
This is the Lakers' fourth different first-time starter since the last 5 games, and in the previous 25 games, there have been 12 different starting lineups, only less than the 76ers who were seriously affected by the new crown injury, and the Lakers were equal to the 19-20 season.
Part of it has to do with luck, james hasn't been able to play three games in a row for a number of reasons (such as injuries, suspensions, and coronavirus oolong).
But the main reason is because Vogel really has no cards to play.
Because how to glue the Big Three together to effectively attack and play the Lakers' signature defense of the past two seasons is really too big a problem.
So far, coaches have had too much to compromise.
Vogel said in the game after losing to the Clippers: "We're a team that needs to bond to break through. ”
But this situation should have been expected long ago.
Many experts have decided that after Pelinka traded Westbrook and signed many veterans, they decided that they would have problems with space and high level of defense.
Meanwhile, the team has suffered a number of injuries, including James' two-week absence due to an abdominal strain; Horton Tucker's missed 13 games at the start of the season after a thumbs up; and Ariza (right ankle surgery) and Nunn (right knee injury) have not yet played a single game, which really makes it more difficult.
The 5-man platoon, which the Lakers often use, is currently only playing together for 53 minutes, which is the lowest number in the league.
For Vogel, this is really a clever woman who can't cook without rice.
But in Los Angeles, no one believes excuses, and the only requirement is to win.
Especially after James has played 19 seasons and is about to turn 37, this requirement seems even more urgent.
So even though we're only 14 months away from our last title and have successfully signed a one-year contract extension agreement four months ago, whether Vogel is leaving class has become a hot topic.
Even if James did not explicitly express his support for Vogel, they all believed that there would be such a situation in the Lakers.
And after the Lakers just won one of the best games of the season, Jenny Bass said: "We will not judge the success or failure of Coach Vogel until the team is 100% healthy. ”
These two points may be effective in cooling these gossip.
Vogel indicated that Nunn expects a possible comeback in 2022, but that time could be advanced as Ariza takes part in joint practice.
If the Lakers, who are sixth in the West and are basically all healthy, still can't get out of their defense and offense at the lower level of the league, is Vogel's coach really stable?
Vogel's only recourse was to save himself, and the first step was to cut the Lakers' center rotation in half.
In Jordan Jr.'s presence, his space problems led to a pull-over of the Lakers' offensive end, with only 85.7 points per 100 possessions (equal to the league's bottom three levels);
In addition, he has not been able to provide a protective frame on the defensive end, and he will not be able to watch the ball holder when blocking.
The data shows that he shot 64.2% from the inside, ranking 82nd out of 148 people who faced at least 50 shots in the box.
However, he still made 16 starts and played 276 minutes.
So the decision to give howard his time and have Howard play Davis as a substitute in the game was valid, and it worked wonders against the Celtics.
As we all know, Vogel often uses Hibbert and West starters in the Pacers; often uses the Davis/McGee/Howard trio during the Lakers championship season, so Vogel is certainly reluctant to do so.
Everyone knows that davis has been on the inside for the past three seasons, when the Lakers are the most offensive threat.
But the idea of big men playing a lot of time is not applicable to this team now.
Judging from the small model experiment, if the Lakers' offense is to be strengthened, Davis must play as a center.
Vogel fully understands, so unlike last season, he has heavily let Davis play center this season.
But that's not enough, because the purpose is theoretically to open up space for the Big Three to profit from, rather than asking them to create their own chances, so the other two players are also crucial.
In theory, Bazemore is a good fit for the role, but the reality is that he shot 13 of 43 from three-point range this year, and he scored less than a point per possession at the time;
And, he couldn't contribute on the defensive end yet, so Vogel put it at the end of the bench and enabled Horton Tucker and Bradley.
However, the two of them shot 55 (35.3 percent) from the bottom 156 in mid-November and 17 (25.8 percent) from 66 outside the three-point line.
That's the pain of revamping the team's lineup.
When Pop and Kuzma were traded away and Caruso left Chicago, the Lakers' all-in-one wing players were desperately scarce and unable to support the Big Three.
If you use Bradley and Horton Tucker, two defensive players, it is equivalent to directly letting the opponent hoard players on the inside, which will lead to an extreme lack of space.
That's why James maintained the same tendency to shoot outwards as he did at the beginning of the season.
This year, his three-point shooting percentage is 41% (career highest), while the breakthrough ratio is 28% (career lowest).
If you choose to use the offensive and weak Anthony, Munch, and Ellington, it may lead to a complete collapse of the outside defense.
When the team can't get around the block and can't block the opponent outside the box, this situation can cause extreme trouble for Vogel;
But Vogel said that when Ariza returns, Davis will be more in the fifth position, and may also use Anthony and James to play center, which seems to be the best choice for the Lakers, especially in the case of existing team personnel.
In fact, the Rockets after the 2020 trade deadline are an object to be imitated, because their lineup provides the groundwork for Weiss's outburst (from the deadline to the day of the injury, Westbrook averaged 31.6 points per game, 58). 1% true hit rate).
James will replace Harden, and The roles of Covington and Tucker will be replaced by a candidate for Best Defensive Player.
But that would make Davis' second offensive option, and the dual role of defensive wipe ass, demand more.
Even if he is the best choice for the center in the league to play small-ball, especially if you can add some offensive tactics and adjustments, this may turn the Lakers into a real championship team.
If you use More Munch, Ellington, or rivers, who was amazing at the beginning of the season, and abandon Bradley, who has poor statistics on the field, perhaps Westbrook can have more opportunities to impact.
As in recent years, Westbrook has shown signs of erupting after the adaptation period, averaging 23.5 points per game and shooting 50.4 percent of the field in the past 8 games, plus 8.9 assists and 6.9 rebounds.
If there is more pressure on the basket and more options for catching the ball, it will certainly make defenders dare not easily block the inside line;
And it could give Davis a better 1-on-1 chance at the low post, and it could also provide more offensive opportunities when James is covering the downside or cutting without the ball.
Everyone knows that when the Lakers stars wreak havoc on the paint like they did in the second half against Boston, they are basically unstoppable:
Even if they play against their historical nemesis Celtics, as a struggling team, winning a game they can't entirely use as a solution to the Lakers' problem.
And the Lakers also need to find a way to score when James is off the court, because their plus-minus per 100 rounds in this situation is -5.
And they need to find a balance between the fast pace that Westbrook likes and the slow pace that James likes.
Also, they need that decisive and determined Davis to show up more often, as they did in the third quarter against Boston.
Vogel has also said that they need to play out at the right time, so they should know what they need to do to get there.
When the reporter asked Wei Shao: "Is this victory against Boston a blueprint that the Lakers need?" Wei Shao replied philosophically: "Basketball will always tell you how to do it." ”
And vogel should have known in theory that if he wanted to win, he needed to throw out his favorite twin tower idea.
But we need time to see if he does that, and we need to see if the Lakers do it.
If this is not possible, Vogel may have to face doubts and doubts again.
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