On January 3, Beijing time, the Lakers finally won 108-103 in the game against the Timberwolves at home, and after this game, the Lakers' record of 19 wins and 19 losses so far this season can finally increase the winning rate to 50%.
So far this season, the Lakers have obviously not performed well enough overall, in addition to injuries and the new coronavirus pandemic, this Lakers has also encountered no small problems in chemical reactions and lineup matching.
However, this Lakers' roster is not without players who play well. In addition to LeBron James, veterans Cameron Anthony and Avery Bradley are arguably the best performing role players in this Lakers team.
In the game against the Timberwolves, Cameron Anthony played 29 minutes with 14 points, 2 assists and +11 plus-minus, and he could also shoot 3-of-7 from outside the three-point line and hit 3+1 shots at key moments, which was also the key to helping the Lakers finally win this game.
So far this season, Anthony can be said to be one of the most stable role players outside the Lakers' three-point line, in terms of statistics, Anthony has a total of 407 shots this season, of which 57.5% of the three-point line shooting, and 18.6% are in the paint, as for Anthony's iconic mid-range shooting, it mainly comes at the end of misplaced opportunities or offensive time. That is to say, Anthony is completely in the "Olympic melon" model in this Lakers team.
In addition to Anthony, Avery Bradley can be said to be a player in the Lakers' starting lineup who has a stable performance on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends. In the game against the Timberwolves, Bradley played in the 28 minutes on 5-of-7 shooting to efficiently score 14 points and 4 steals, and his excellent performance on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends was also praised by head coach Frank Vogel after the game:
'Avery Bradley has been doing a great job for us all year and I love his performance on both ends of the road.
For this season's Lakers, Anthony's efficient performance in the "Olympic melon" mode on the offensive end and Bradley's role as a 3D tough guy are believed to be the key to the Lakers' playoff victory. At least from the overall performance so far this season, Anthony and Bradley can be said to be the most suitable reinforcements that the Lakers did last offseason to do for James and Davis.
In contrast, the Lakers sacrificed many role players to promote the trade to get Russell Westbrook still has up to 9 turnovers in this game, and such a performance can give Zhan Mei far less help than Anthony and Bradley.