On January 13, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, and the Lakers lost to the Kings 116-125. In this game, one of the most important reasons for the Lakers' loss is that their internal line is washed away by the opponent. According to statistics, the Kings scored as high as 70 points on the inside, accounting for 56% of the team's total scores, 28 points more than the Lakers.
So why is the Lakers' interior defense so fragile? One of the most important reasons is that Vogel has never reused Howard, even in this game, he is in good shape, and he still does not give Howard enough playing time when he can play.
Howard played 15 minutes, shot all three, and had 8 points and 7 rebounds (including 4 offensive rebounds), a net win of 9 points on the court, and was in good shape. And it should be noted that Howard only suffered 1 foul in total, so it is said that he has less playing time, which is completely Vogel's initiative.
So the question is, why can the average fan see howard on the field to protect the basket well, but Vogel would rather be blown up inside than reuse Howard? Someone threw the pot to James, thinking that the Lakers are now using James to play center, mainly playing 5 small lineups, so Howard can only be positioned as a substitute, and the playing time can not be more. But the problem is that James should not have played center, or at least not for a long time, the reason why Vogel now let him play in the No. 5 position is not that James himself is willing to play center, but to help Westbrook integrate into the team.
Imagine if James didn't play the No. 5 position and Howard played the No. 5 position, then Westbrook and Howard were on the floor at the same time, and the Lakers had at least 2 points on the court that could not open up space, and the problem on the offensive end would be very serious. And Wei Shao can't play as a substitute, so naturally he can only sacrifice Howard.
So Vogel does not dare to let Westbrook play as a substitute for a day, or replace him when he is not playing well, then the Lakers will never be able to reuse Howard, and can only let James play the No. 5 position to fight against the opponent. The Lakers' lack of defense on the inside line can never be solved until the return of the thick eyebrow brother. And even if you wait until the return of the thick eyebrow brother, due to his low outside projection efficiency this season, the Lakers' offensive space problem will probably still cause Vogel a headache.