Who is Keita Bates Diop? If it were not for the spurs' senior fans, it is estimated that they would not be able to call the full name. Now, the whole world seems to know him! Facing the Lakers, Diop, who came off the bench, had 30 points, 7 rebounds and 1 assist on 11-of-11 shooting and 7 free throws, helping the Spurs beat the Lakers 138-110, who suffered four consecutive defeats. Let's take a look at some of Diop's details, having been selected by the Timberwolves with the 18th pick in the second round in 2018, followed by two seasons with the Timberwolves and another season with the Nuggets. He joined the Spurs in 2020 and signed a two-year, $3.61 million contract with the Spurs in the 2021 offseason, with the second season being insecure.
To sum up in one sentence: the unknown Diop blew up the Lakers! Well, maybe Greg Popovich really has a bit of a rocky ability, otherwise how could Diop suddenly explode, knowing that he has only averaged 4.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game this season. Although the Lakers lack Anthony Davis, there are also LeBron James and Russell Westbrook sitting in the town, being blown up by unknown small people, which is really a bit hanging. Crucially, staples's farewell game was a 28-point defeat.
The Lakers' loss seems to be unable to find the responsibility of James and Westbrook, the former of 26 shots 15 of 7 three-pointers 7 shots plus 6 free throws 4 of 36 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal 2 blocks, the latter 20 shots 12 of 20 three-pointers 2 shots 1 plus 9 free throws 5 30 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal. Both cores have played such a performance, and we really can't ask for anything else. So, it's another day james can't move! Statistically, it is! Horton Tucker 5-of-13, Wayne Ellington 9-of-9, Carmelo Anthony 3-of-8, Isaiah Thomas 1-of-5, Mason Jones 1-of-5, such role players really broke James' heart!
Is this really the case? Let's talk about Diop, who made 11 shots on this night of fame, eight of them in the box and three outside the three-point line. If 3-of-3 from outside the three-point line proves that Diop is hot on this night, then 8-of-8 shooting in the box is a problem for the Lakers' defense. Diop did not have a good ability to hold the ball and hit singles, nine of his 11 goals were assisted, of which 6 of the eight goals in the box were assisted, and the empty cut became Diop's main way of scoring. Empty cutting is actually a kind of "stealing chicken" play, when the local Opple completes the score with a time and time again, the Lakers not only have the chickens been stolen, but even the chicken nests have been taken away.
So, do you really think that James and Westbrook are not responsible? That's certainly not right, from the data point of view, they have done everything they can, but in terms of attitude, do they really do it? It is true that today's Lakers need someone to score points and someone to organize an offense, but the current Lakers need to defend more, and the biggest impact on defense is the attitude. If the stars don't have a defensive attitude, how can the role players devote themselves to defense? At the same time, the Lakers are still a group of short-contract players, if it is for future contract considerations, who would not want to get a good data?
Based on the age problem, James seems to have a reason to reduce his role in the defensive end, but now the Lakers are in a special period, continuous losses will definitely affect the team's locker room atmosphere, and the real impact on the Lakers is James, he needs to increase the role on the defensive end, at least to drive the atmosphere of the entire team. As for the physical problem, it is still necessary to deal with it by reducing the playing time, once the appearance plays a leading role in both offensive and defensive ends, the Lakers may gradually go on the right track.
Text/Duncan's laugh