The US media slammed the Lakers management for blindly interfering in Vogel's coaching: to turn over, you have to stick to the small-ball lineup

In recent days, Lakers coach Vogel has been embroiled in a class crisis. According to insiders, Lakers senior adviser Curt Lambis had asked Vogel to use more of a large lineup, reusing Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan, but the US media "The Athletic" Lakers accompanying reporter Buha wrote an article attacking the Lakers management's blind tricks. Buha believes that the only way for the Lakers to turn around is to use more small ball lineups.

In the previous battle with the Jazz, facing tall center Rudy Gobert, the Lakers won with a small ball, Stanley Johnson became a surprise, and the Lakers defeated the Jazz with a wave of 15-2 attacks to win.

This victory shows that when the Lakers play small ball, even when facing a team with tall centers, the Lakers can play their best performance, and the Lakers in this state can compete with strong teams. Don't forget, Anthony Davis hasn't made a comeback yet.

Before signing Johnson on a short contract, the Lakers have begun to move in the direction of playing small ball. Unexpectedly, Johnson's crooked joining unlocked the strongest version of the Lakers' small-ball lineup, and he was exactly the piece of the puzzle that the Lakers lacked: a wing with tall arms, excellent athleticism, amazing vitality, and the ability to defend one or two positions.

In the Lakers' current lineup, in addition to LeBron James and Davis, the Lakers can no longer find a balanced offensive and defensive frontcourt player. Johnson's offense is unstable, but his defensive ability is excellent, and he is the defensive tough guy that the Lakers need.

Cameron Anthony's defense is a weakness, he does work hard, and he has played a good defense in some moments, but he is also one of the reasons for the Lakers' poor defensive efficiency this season. At critical moments, he will be the defensive weakness of the opponent.

Ariza's offensive efficiency is too low, don't look at his three-point shooting rate of 42.3%, but in fact, he just came back to feel good, the last 6 three-point shots only 5 of 17 three-pointers, shooting only 29.4%, his defensive influence has not reached the Lakers' expectations.

Lambis asked Vogel to use Howard and Jordan Jr., Jordan Jr. is no longer useful, Howard does have value as a basket and rebound protector, and in certain pairs, such as against Jokic, Embiid, and Gobert, he can indeed show value. But if Davis returns, the Lakers still need to use Davis and James to play center, which Vogel has emphasized before.

This season, the Lakers' 100-game goal difference is higher when Davis is not on the court, but in any case, Davis's comeback can make the Lakers better, especially against strong teams.

At present, the situation of the Lakers is very clear, playing more small balls may not make the Lakers a strong contender for the championship, but if the Lakers want to turn over, even if it is just to a better direction, playing more small balls is the best way.

In contrast, a younger, more athletic, smaller lineup is more powerful than an older, taller, but slower lineup.