In the context of last season's regular season record of only seventh in the West + a round of playoffs, in order to maintain a stronger competitiveness of the team last offseason, the Lakers management made "drastic" improvements to the existing lineup.
In order to introduce the "Zhan Weimei" super big three lineup of the Wei Shaoqiang group, they did not hesitate to give up players such as Kuzma, Schroeder, and Drummond (Zhuang Shen), who performed in the playoffs. However, even if the "lineup changes blood", the Lakers have not achieved the expected results in the new season.
Strong group "Zhan Weimei" super big three lineup, the new season the Lakers did not play the expected results?
After the Lakers forcibly formed the "Zhan Weimei" big three, as the only super big three combination in the league except for the Nets, they were placed great expectations before the start of the new season - many people believe that with the Lakers' superstar advantage, they can easily play a dominant force, easily dominate the West and rush to the Finals...
But in the new season, even with the big three lineup, the Lakers have not been able to play a dominant force. They can lose to the top four teams in the West, such as the Warriors, Suns and Grizzlies, or to the weak western teams such as the Timberwolves, Kings and Thunder.
In the end, most of the season, the Lakers with the Big Three only achieved a record of 22 wins and 22 losses to the seventh place in the West, and did not play a dominant force as expected, which is obviously a big gap with the expectations of the outside world at the beginning of the season.
Having lost to the Grizzlies, Kings, and Nuggets, the Lakers have no hope of winning the championship?
When the Lakers' big three fit, they did not play dominance; and after the thick eyebrows retreated, they also did not play dominance; and the Lakers also lost to the Grizzlies, Kings and Nuggets in the recent past, ushering in a three-game losing streak under the premise of having James + Westbrook.
Even more egregiously, they also lost 37 points 96-133 against the Nuggets. Losing by 37 points — which is obviously unacceptable for the Lakers who are determined to win the championship in the new season.
So after this game, many media and fans are in their hearts, re-evaluating the strength of the Lakers: Perhaps after most of the season, they still can't find the right way to win, and they can't return to the top four in the West, and there is really no hope of winning the championship this year.
However, just after three consecutive defeats, James tweeted: "Lakers nation." I apologize and I promise we'll get better! "I thought that the current situation of the Lakers, even if James tweeted, is useless, after all, the problem is not only on him, and with his current state and age, it is difficult to change a whole team by himself."
See you soon! Lakers from 3 consecutive defeats to win the Jazz (third in the West)
The Lakers, who thought they had lost three games in a row, had lost their hearts and completely abandoned the season. Unexpectedly, in the recent Lakers vs Jazz game, the Lakers were very active at both ends of the attack and defense, and finally defeated the Jazz 101-95 to win this game.
You know, before losing to the Lakers, the Jazz were once in the top three teams in the West. Since the new season, the Lakers have lost several times to the Warriors, Suns, and Grizzlies, and it is difficult for them to win against the top four teams in the West.
After all, the previous 3 consecutive defeats + 37 points of fiasco have almost completely made the Lakers lose confidence. Otherwise James wouldn't have motivated his teammates before the game with the promise that he would get better. So this ball can beat the Jazz in the top three in the West, which is really significant for the Lakers.
So, from 3 consecutive losses to winning the third place in the West, what is the difference between the Lakers and before?
1. Regulate Wei Shao's playing time, so that Wei Shao staggers and James plays at the same time. Since the new season, Wei Shao, as one of the Lakers' big three, has averaged 35.1 minutes per game; but his role and contribution on the court are relatively limited - killing a thousand enemies and losing eight hundred. Not only does it have a hard time coming forward when the team needs him to score, but he even often makes mistakes when the enemy team needs him to make mistakes...
In the near future, Vogel has been interested in regulating Westbrook's playing time, for example, in the game against the Jazz, Westbrook only played for 28 minutes, which not only allowed him to maintain sufficient physical strength at all times, but also reduced the time he played with James at the same time. After all, from the perspective of running-in for most of the season, the effect of James and Westbrook playing at the same time has not actually reached the level of 1+1 greater than 2.
Therefore, only by increasing the time that James and Wei Shao lead their respective teams, without letting their playing time completely coincide, can we better play the advantages of James and Wei Shao.
2. Stanley Johnson became the Lakers' firefighter. Since the new season, not only has Westbrook's personal performance not met expectations, but in fact, the personal performances of Munch, Tucker and Reeves are also quite average. Otherwise, the Lakers don't have to sign Johnson, Thomas Jr. and others on 10-day contracts all the time.
In the Lakers vs Jazz match, Johnson came off the bench for 25 minutes, shooting 7-of-9 in a single game, and blasted down 15 points, 6 boards, 3 assists, 1 break and 2 caps. Especially in the key fourth quarter of the Lakers' pursuit of points, he shot 5 of 6 in a single quarter, scoring 10 points and 4 boards, helping the Lakers win the game. It can be said that the reason why the Lakers can win this game has a lot to do with Johnson's performance.
3, the overall more active defense, so that the Jazz only scored 95 points in a single game. So far this season, the Jazz are the team with the league's first offensive efficiency - 116.5 points. They also shoot 46.5 percent from the field (eighth in the league) and 35.0 percent from three-point range (15th in the league).
Judging from this offensive performance alone, it is difficult for the Lakers to limit them. After all, since the new season, the Lakers have not only attacked "constipation", but also suffered from a lot of holes in the defensive end
But after three consecutive defeats, inspired by James, the Lakers were rejuvenated. Limiting the Jazz to 95 points in this game and limiting his shooting percentage to 36.9 percent and three-point range to 26.1 percent left them unable to play to the advantage of powerful firepower.
In summary, in the Lakers vs Jazz game, based on "Vogel's regulation of Westbrook's playing time, Stanley Johnson's efficient play, and the team's overall more active defense", the Lakers can play a stronger strength than ever. Otherwise, even if James plays this game efficiently, it will be difficult for the Lakers to win the game.
And from three consecutive defeats to winning the Jazz, it actually shows that today's Lakers are not incurable. As long as they can maintain the current defensive intensity and attitude, while allowing Wei Shao to exert stronger strength; then after the return of the thick eyebrows, who dares to say that the combination of the big three with "James + Wei Shao + thick eyebrows" will not have a chance to win the championship?