Westbrook, who shot 2-of-14 in the Lakers' loss to the Kings, said he was "just unable to hit the shot" / Russell Westbrook 2-for-14 as Los Angeles Lakers lose to Sacramento Kings again: 'Can't make a shot'
Published: January 11, 2021 US time
Publisher: ESPN
Article by Dave McMenamin
Article translated by de Gaulle
When the Lakers' road game against the Kings ended, the scoreboard was fixed at 117-125. In the 42nd regular season game of the season and the first game of the second half of the season, the Lakers once again suffered a defeat. After a four-game winning streak, they have now suffered two straight losses.
However, the previous one lost to the Grizzlies was different. In the previous game, the Lakers were only James who played well, and the support provided to him by other players was not enough. But against the Kings, james continued his personal excellence, with 34 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, and several role players stepped forward. In particular, Munch, who contributed 22 points, and Reeves, who scored 19 points, both made the Lakers more effective than the previous game.
In such a situation, Westbrook's poor performance on the court is particularly eye-catching. Watching Westbrook's performance of only 2 goals in 14 sports battles, Frank Vogel, who rarely speaks harshly about the performance of the players, can't help but use "he is now in a slump" to describe Westbrook's performance and state.
In an interview after the game, Wei Shao's attitude was also quite fierce, he said: "I just can't shoot a ball of XX. ”
Originally, for the Lakers who lost to the Grizzlies in the previous game, this away challenge to the Kings was a perfect opportunity for them to stop falling and recover. Because the Kings had only 16 wins and 27 losses before this game, and they were still in a wave of 5 consecutive losses recently, from strength to state, they were obviously at a disadvantage compared with today's Lakers. In fact, the Lakers did establish a double-digit lead in the first half of the game, showing a good competitive state.
However, the game was out of the Lakers' control in the third quarter. The weak overall defense, as well as the declining offensive efficiency, allowed the Lakers to be played 40-23 by the Kings in the third quarter. In such an out-of-control situation, Wei Shao's offensive efficiency is like a shotgun that turns the muzzle of the gun, allowing the Lakers to experience the taste of "internal and external enemies".
And this is not the first time. Since the Lakers last won the King's game at home, Westbrook's shooting percentage in the last four games has not exceeded 37%. Facing the Kings at home on Jan. 5, he shot 7-of-19 from the field, shooting 36.8 percent; he beat the Hawks on Jan. 8 with 4-of-14 shooting, shooting 28.6 percent; he lost to the Grizzlies on Jan. 10, with 2-of-12 shooting and shooting 16.7 percent; and by January 13, he lost to the Kings on 2-of-14 shooting, dropping to 14.3 percent. Therefore, Vogel's use of "landslide" to describe Westbrook's recent performance is indeed very appropriate.
"The word 'slippery slope' never associates me with me for long," Mr. Westbrook said in an interview, "and I'm going to focus on my personal technical abilities and find a way to [get the ball in]. My situation now is to find the best way to play the ball at this moment, it is as simple as that. I'll find a way, that's it. I'll find a way to hit those XX shots, and I'll put that here. ”
When Wei Shao can stop the decline, no one can give an accurate prediction. However, anyone with a discerning eye can see that his recent serious decline in offensive efficiency is inextricably linked to his deliberate change in his playing defense on the court.
Westbrook's last game with normal offensive efficiency was against the Timberwolves on Jan. 3. In that game, Wei Shao scored 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting and 43.8% shooting, but also had the second most turnovers in a single game of the season. After that game, the discussion about his high number of mistakes became a hot topic in the media.
But since the battle with the Timberwolves, Westbrook has only made four turnovers in the last four games, including 2 single-game zero turnovers. Wei Shao himself said that he had recently put a lot of effort into controlling mistakes. "For me personally, controlling the ball is very critical," Wei Shao said, "and I have put a lot of energy into this aspect." If we want to win more goals, that's even more important. ”
Originally, reducing mistakes was a good thing. But along with the mistakes, there is also Wei Shao's offensive efficiency. In the game with the Kings, in addition to the shooting rate dropped to the lowest point since 4 games, he shot 0-of-5 outside the three-point line, and in the last 1 minute and 07 seconds of the game, when the Lakers once chased the point difference to 4 points, Wei Shao confidently pulled out the jumper on the outside line, and the result was still as good as ever. After the Kings' Meitu received this rebound, he returned to the offensive end and shot a three-pointer, pulling the point difference to 7 points at the same time, and completely extinguished the Lakers' hope of winning.
"There were only 4 seconds left in the 24-second offensive timer. We ran a tactic before, but it was destroyed by the opponent," Wei Shao said in the last round, "At that time, there were not many options. My teammates gave me a cover, the opponent went around from behind the cover, and I shot, but the ball didn't go in. That was it at the time. ”
In fact, the Lakers have 6 seconds left in the 24-second offensive timer when Westbrook shoots, and within the range of his passables, there are also James and Munch, two teammates who have shot three-pointers in a single game. But at such a critical moment, Wei Shao still shot with great confidence. It's just that his confidence didn't save him this time.
Westbrook's recent form is a problem for the Lakers to make the team anxious, but for their opponents, it is a gimmick worth using for fun. Before the start of the battle with the Lakers, the Kings introduced the away players at home, specially paired Wei Shao with singer Foreigner singing "Cold As Ice" as the appearance of BGM, and also on the ceiling screen, Wei Shao was selected as "the coldest player of the game".
Visiting players are taunted at the opponent's home court, which is nothing new in competitive sports. And Wei Shao also talked about this matter generously after the game. "It's funny, I hope they've done it for the last 14 years," Mr. Wei said, "and it's interesting and cute that they're doing it now." ”
It's just that the Lakers may not have such a good mentality as Wei Shao. In the first game of the second half of the season, the Lakers won first and then lost, and the problems that plagued the team for the first half of the season, such as the collapse of the third quarter and the poor state of Westbrook, still exist. Everything seems to be circulating continuously, and there is no real sense of improvement.
Of course, the Lakers are not without action. For example, recently there was news that the Lakers had a positive attitude in the trading market, and the media broke the news, and the Lakers and the 76ers proposed that they hoped to trade Ben Simmons, who had not played this season. However, the 76ers have already refused, saying that they are not interested in Wei Shao at all. And given Westbrook's recent performance and form, as well as his 2-year contract of more than 40 million annual salary, the Lakers want to send him away through the trading market, which is almost impossible to complete.
Therefore, the only thing the Lakers can do now is to continue to walk with Wei Shao. James is still very positive when talking about his teammate. "Obviously, he's been trying lately, and you have to believe in these efforts of his comeback," James said, "and he's going to play well in the future, and now it's just that everything hasn't calmed down." ”