On January 7, Beijing time, according to the latest reports, the Lakers finally re-signed Stanley Johnson, but unlike the conventional contract that many people expected before, the Lakers still chose to sign it with a short contract of ten days. This shows that the Lakers are very cautious about their last place, although Johnson performed well after coming to the Lakers, but because the time in the team is too short, it is obvious that the Lakers are also worried that his excellent performance is short-lived, and using another short contract is also to be able to observe more.
But everyone knows that as long as Stanley can maintain his previous status with the Lakers, it's only a matter of time before he gets a formal contract. It is worth mentioning that according to the relevant news, the Lakers have now put Bazemore and Jordan Jr. on the shelf, and the Lakers' goal is to use them to exchange air and use them to free up space to sign more suitable players.
Vogel is thrilled with Stanley's return, and he was thrilled in the interview, saying that Stanley has been very good during his previous time with the Lakers, providing the team with the flank defensive ability and athleticism they have been lacking. While he didn't promise that Stanley would definitely be part of the Lakers' playoff lineup, everyone knew the end result. Lakers fans are also very happy to keep Stanley, his previous positive and tough defensive attitude has conquered the fans, although he also has his own shortcomings, but the fans still have high hopes for him.
As the No. 8 show in 2015, Stanley's talent is unquestionable, and although his personal offensive efficiency during his time with the Lakers is not too good, and the three-point projection is also very general, his defensive attitude and defensive ability on the court are still in short supply for the Lakers today. The current Lakers are very lacking in defensive strength on the flanks, Ariza's age has determined that he can't play too much time, and Bradley's defensive three-guard is too much of a loss, so Stanley is indispensable for the Lakers.
This also reflects the problem of the Lakers today, a Stanley has made the Lakers fans hungry, you can imagine how weak the flanks in their original lineup are. In this all-veteran lineup, the Lakers have a hard time maintaining defensive enthusiasm and athleticism, so there is no team in the entire league that needs blue-collar players with excellent athleticism more than the Lakers. The quality of the Lakers' defense this season has declined a lot compared to the past two seasons, mainly because of the arrival of Westbrook and the aging of the lineup, and the poor defensive ability in the backcourt has affected the whole team. Therefore, a forward player with excellent athletic ability is enough to impress Lakers fans, and the vitality that young players can provide is not comparable to that of veterans.
In fact, another reason why the Lakers value Johnson so much is that he can really share the pressure for James, this season the Lakers have been trying to reduce the burden on James, but the effect is not ideal, and now johnson has the ability to do it, and the Lakers are naturally willing to give more opportunities. At the same time, considering that the Lakers now let James play center, in fact, the consumption of him is not small, if the timing is right, the Lakers may still consider introducing high-quality centers, for which many fans have suggested that the Lakers re-sign Cousins, who was just cut by the Bucks.
So far this season, Cousins has averaged 9.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game, his performance is actually quite good, and these years Cousins has also proved that he is the kind of space-type interior line that the Lakers hope to have, and Cousins himself has a very good relationship with Davis and James, if Johnson can not finally get the Lakers' official quota, perhaps Cousins has a chance to become an alternative.