The NBA today released the latest issue of the team's combat strength list, and the Los Angeles Lakers fell from the previous 17th to the 20th, which means that the Lakers are now the middle and lower reaches of the league. Recently, the Lakers' performance is really not good, eating three consecutive losses. Especially in the game against the Nuggets, the Lakers were passive throughout the game, once trailing their opponents by more than 40 points. Before today's game against the Jazz, the Lakers were in 9th place in the West with a record of 21 wins and 22 losses.
The Lakers' decline in combat power is mainly due to two factors. The first is injury, and the Lakers are an aging team. Aging teams are more prone to injuries than younger teams. The Lakers have been plagued by multiple player injuries this season, and Ariza took a long break before returning. Point guard Nunn is only likely to make a comeback at the end of January, and James has taken a break this season due to injury. Davis is still recuperating from injuries and does not have a clear comeback date. Several of the players mentioned above are the core rotation of the Lakers, and if they are injured and do not play, the Lakers naturally have no chips to compete with opponents.
Davis' injury has had a very big impact on the Lakers, and Davis has declined in the past two years. But after all, he is an excellent star, both offensive and defensive, and is the cornerstone of the team's Lakers' interior defense. Second, the Lakers' defense this season is very bad, and the Lakers' defense has not improved significantly after half a season. The Lakers' defensive efficiency this season is only 110.1 in the 20th place in the league, and if the Lakers' goal is to compete for the championship, then this defensive efficiency is really unbearable.
Going into 2022, the Lakers have not conceded a single game with less than 100 points. The Lakers have conceded an average of more than 120 points in the last four games. In particular, playing the Weak Team Kings of the West allowed opponents to score 125 points on themselves. Although James playing a center can revitalize the Lakers' offensive space, the team's protective frame and rebounding ability are declining. Although the Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last season, their defense was still passed. The Lakers' defensive performance last season was absolutely qualified. The Lakers' state this year is even more incomparable to the championship season two years ago, and how strong the Lakers were two years ago knows.
The Lakers' morale has also fluctuated, and if there is a problem inside the team's morale, the record is unlikely to be good. This situation was encountered by James 4 years ago, and in the 2017-18 season, the Cavaliers were mired in the first half of the season, and the locker room frequently exploded. If it weren't for the trade of Thomas Jr. for a group of young players, the Cavaliers would probably have accounted for it that season. This season's Lakers also seem to be stuck in the predicament of the Cavaliers 4 years ago, and the core figure is Westbrook.
We can't say much about Westbrook. Heading into 2022, Westbrutter's performance is getting worse and worse, and the run-in in the first half of the season did not help. Considering his current stats and salary, trading Westbrook is extremely difficult, and there may be no team willing to accept Westbrook at this stage. Many Lakers players on the court are reluctant to pass the ball to Westbrook. Westbrook's constant turnovers on the field have been hurting team morale.
Halfway through the season, the mental outlook and strength of a team can be seen. In the lakers' current state, their championship competition this season is completely a fool's dream. If the Lakers want to turn around this season, they can only take advantage of the trade deadline to make some changes in exchange for some young and energetic players to change their appearance. Only then will they have the possibility of fighting back. Dear readers, how do you evaluate the NBA's latest edition of the strength list? Feel free to leave a comment in the comments section below the article.