Russell Westbrook's role in the Los Angeles Lakers' first season was constantly being adjusted, and head coach Frank Vogel said that for Westbrook, there are many adjustments that need to be made this season, but fortunately he handles it well.
Vogel said some of the adjustments Westbrook has had to make this season are related to the unstable environment around the Lakers, especially the team's injuries and health and safety agreements, and how Westbrook coexists with possession players like LeBron James is one of the biggest challenges he faces.
"I just think LeBron's possession is probably the most important thing." Vogel explains, "Obviously in Westbrook's career, at least for the past few years, he's dealt with shooters and big men. In the first few years of his career, Westbrook and Durant played together for so many years, but playing with LeBron is different for everyone because LeBron has a lot of possession. ”
But I think from the performances of the last few weeks, Westbrook has really made some progress, and so have our whole team, and LeBron has played a more sub-center role, and he has probably done more in the block, whether it's no-ball cover or block cover, than he has done in his entire career.
Vogel said, "The biggest adjustment that Westbrook has to make is that with James, he needs to reduce the amount of possession. James has been in the center over the last few weeks and I think Westbrook has made some progress in that time. So I think LeBron's tweaks have helped a lot of our outside players, including Westbrook. ”
Vogel said the change in Westbrook's role could affect his rhythm in the game, although noting that Westbrook's usage is still high. The data shows he still holds the ball during the game for quite some time, but the way Westbrook uses the ball has changed. Westbrook's points came not from three-pointers and offensive and defensive conversions, but more from inside breakouts, which accounted for 61.9% of his total scores. Vogel said it's not surprising, it's no different from last season, when the team basically doesn't have a really big man, it usually uses small players to cut from the low position to dunk.
"To be honest, we're still adjusting, and we're going to leave more room for players under the basket to get into the basket through a variety of ways like layups, blocking and dismantling, not just dunks. So we're going to keep improving the offense, and all the little players on the team are active and will be out under the basket at some point. ”
Speaking about Ariza's condition, Vogel said that Ariza's status is also going up, but he still needs time to regain the feeling of the game, after all, he has been absent for a long time before. Vogel said he liked Ariza's offensive running position. As for Stanley Johnson, Vogel said Johnson's addition has brought good energy and resilience to the team.