On December 29, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued. The Los Angeles Lakers challenged the Rockets away and finally won the game with the efficient play of James, Westbrook and Anthony, stopping the decline of 5 consecutive losses. In this game, the Lakers boldly tried and launched a super 5 small starting lineup: Westbrook, Bradley, Munch, Stanley Johnson, James. For james, 37, he played as a starting center for the first time in his career.
Today's Lakers are trying all kinds of changes, after all, it has reached the moment of exhaustion. If you don't change it, you will end the championship race "ahead of time". Perhaps, before the thick eyebrows come back, the Lakers can really use the "super five small" lineup to fight, there may be surprises. Moreover, When Wei Shao was on the Rockets, he also experienced this situation. 5 consecutive Lords! The Lakers ushered in a sweet schedule, the two Grizzlies tested a huge test, and Zhan Huang attacked the scoring king.
The Lakers have a sweet schedule
After beating the Rockets, the Lakers remained in Texas, back-to-back away from home to challenge the Grizzlies, which was a big hurdle. Although the Lakers' change of formation has a miraculous effect, it is also entangled with the Rockets to the end. Since there is no height in the interior line, the rim protection ability and rebounding are at a loss.
After the game with the Grizzlies, the Lakers ushered in a sweet schedule, on the one hand, it was 5 consecutive masters, all of which were home games, avoiding the fatigue of the boat. For the overall age of the Lakers, physical strength is a huge test. On the other hand, the opponents are not very strong, namely: the Blazers (12th in the West), the Timberwolves (9th in the West), the Kings (11th in the West), the Eagles (11th in the East), and the Grizzlies (4th in the West). In this wave of schedule, if the Lakers can seize the opportunity, at least they can win 3 games and win 4 games.
The two Grizzlies tested greatly
The Lakers played their next six games: 1 back-to-back game against the Grizzlies, and 5 consecutive games against the Grizzlies. That is to say, the Lakers want to get a good result in the next game and improve their ranking in the West, and the test of the two Grizzlies is still relatively large. Judging from the actual situation of the two teams, it is very difficult for the Lakers to win:
(1) Internal advantage. The Lakers' starting center is James, and the backup center is Anthony, which are the height and strength of small forwards. What about the Grizzlies side? Adams at 2m 11, Jarren Jackson Jr. at 2m 11. There is also a point that cannot be ignored, the Lakers have no one to protect the frame, what about Morant's breakthrough?
(2) Offensive and defensive efficiency. The Lakers' offense and defense are mediocre, with 25th in the league in offensive efficiency and 12th in the league in defensive efficiency. What about grizzly bears? The offensive efficiency is as high as the 6th in the league, and the Lakers' defense has been greatly tested. Besides, the Lakers are still fighting back-to-back, can the physical strength of the old comrades be able to withstand it?
Zhan Huang hit the scoring king
The Lakers are tough, the schedule is hard, and James is under a lot of pressure. Therefore, the 37-year-old's average playing time per game is still as high as 37.1 minutes, and can contribute: 27.6 points, 7 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1 block, shooting 52% from the field and 35.3% from three-point range. It's hard to imagine any other star who could do that. Let's flip through James' career stats, he averaged more points per game last season than this season, and goes back to the 2009-2010 season, averaging 29.7 points per game.
Let's take another look at the average score per game this season, James averaged 27.6 points per game, ranking third. The top two are Durant averaging 29.7 points per game and Curry averaging 27.7 points per game. We can say: Zhan Huang is expected to impact the scoring king. As Harden's form picks up and Irving returns, Durant's scoring is sure to drop. Klay Thompson will be back soon, and Curry's scoring may also drop. However, the pressure on James to follow is getting bigger and bigger.