The home court was reversed by the underdog Pacers, Russell Westbrook was hidden in the snow at a critical moment, and LeBron James made a basket in garbage time, all of which made the Lakers once again come to the whirlpool of public opinion. Even the Lakers' locker room has reached a moment of sword fighting.
After defeating the Jazz, the Lakers came out of two consecutive defeats, but unfortunately, the Pacers gave the Lakers a cool heart, and the winning rate once again fell below 50%. In the past period of time, James's performance has been very good, but his outstanding performance is no longer the Lakers' barometer, Westbrook is still so ups and downs, the partition Rudy Gobert is just a momentum of catharsis, for the Lakers really change very little. The problems that the Lakers should have have not been solved at all, and with the loss, everyone's mentality seems to have a problem. In the next six consecutive guests in the east, the Lakers are afraid that there will be problems of one kind or another.
Now, there is one player who seems to have been forgotten, and that is Anthony Davis, who has been questioned this season for a long time because of injuries. However, things have two sides, and the longer Davis is absent, the More the Lakers may really know his role and value, and the mentality of James and Westbrook may be truly changed.
Davis was injured in the Lakers' game against the Timberwolves on December 18, 2021, and since that game, the Lakers have gone into a relatively bad situation. In the 16 games since December 18, 2021, the Lakers have only achieved 6 wins and 10 losses, with a winning percentage of only 37.5%, but in the previous 29 games, the Lakers have achieved 16 wins and 13 losses, with a winning rate of 55.2%. The 17.7 percentage point gap doesn't seem like much, but according to the previous win rate, the Lakers' current record should be about 25 wins and 20 losses, which can rank sixth in the West and allow the Lakers to avoid the playoffs.
It can be seen that the gap between Davis and no Davis is still relatively obvious, even if Davis only shoots 17.9% of the three-point range this season. Of course, the winning percentage is only superficial, and there are many data that can prove the value of Davis, we may as well list them:
- In the first 29 games, the Lakers averaged 111.2 points per game, and in the past 16 games, the Lakers' average conceded points per game was 115.8 points, a difference of 4.6 points.
- In the first 29 games, the Lakers' opponents shot 44.5% and three-point shooting rates of 33.7%, and in the past 16 games, the Lakers' opponents shot 46.3% and three-point shooting rates of 36%;
- In the first 29 games, the Lakers averaged 36.6 defensive rebounds per game, and in the past 16 games, the Lakers averaged 33.5 defensive rebounds per game;
- In the first 29 games, the Lakers have conceded 48.4 points per game on the inside line, and in the past 16 games, the Lakers have conceded 51.4 points per game.
Some of the data on defense is clearly problematic, and that's actually Davis' role. This season, Davis averaged seven jammed two-point shots per game, ranking sixteenth in the league, and averaged 4.3 jammed three-point shots per game, ranking first in the league. At the same time, he can also do a good job of protecting rebounds, blocks and other data. Most importantly, Davis has a large defensive coverage and can complete the supplementary defense and assist defense, which is the ability of other players in the Lakers at present.
Many times this season, Davis has been questioned for his offensive inefficiency, and in the past 16 games, the Lakers' defense has had huge problems, which is actually caused by Davis' absence. And this is also a full proof of the problem, Davis in the defensive end of the huge physical consumption, so that his offensive end efficiency can not be guaranteed. As long as Davis returns, most of the Lakers' problems can be guaranteed, and the record will also be warmed, but the Lakers want to go further, James and Westbrook must make changes at the same time, and it is Davis who can really affect the Lakers, not James and Westbrook.
Text/Duncan's laugh