This season, Wei Shao can be called one of the most topical figures in the league, on the one hand, because Wei Shao joined the most concerned team in the league in the offseason, the Lakers, on the other hand, because Wei Shao's performance so far this season has really disappointed many fans, especially he has played the worst performance in his career on the offensive end, whether on the field or in statistics, Wei Shao's offense can only be described as a disaster in many cases.
According to reports, the league's data experts posted on social media his heat map of Westbrook's shooting this season, which is of intuitive significance for referencing Westbrook's poor shooting performance this season from the data point of view. First, while the outside mid-range shooting has not been the way He is good at playing throughout his career, his outside shooting performance has become worse this season. According to statistics, Westbrook's three-point shooting rate at a 45-degree angle on the right and at the top of the arc is only 24%, far below the league average. The three-point shooting percentage in the two bottom corners is ideal, but the shooting is very small.
In terms of mid-range shooting, Westbrook's "zombie jump shot" efficiency, which has been repeatedly ridiculed by fans this season, is also very average, with only the mid-range shooting rate on the left side of the free throw line exceeding the league average, and the mid-range shooting in the rest of the positions is far below the league average. Second, although not good at long-range shooting, Wei Shao's breakthrough is one of his best weapons since entering the league, but this weapon has seen an extremely serious decline this season. According to statistics, Westbrook's most frequent shooting area is under the basket, but his shooting rate is only 51%, far below the league average.
Finally, according to picture statistics, Westbrook's total number of shots this season ranks 6th in the league, but of the 71 players who have made at least 500 more shots, his effective shooting percentage ranks only 67th. In other words, Westbrook has become a typical representative of the players in the league who "shoot more and enter less". Whether it's a mid-range shot on the outside or an offense under the basket, Westbrook seems to have a hard time putting the ball into the basket this season. It's not just that he has personally suffered a lot of questions, but at the same time, the Lakers' unsatisfactory record this season and Westbrook's poor offensive performance are also very much related.
In the offseason, the Lakers used Chips such as Kuzma + Pop + Harrell to exchange wei shao with a salary of 40 million yuan from the wizards, and formed a big three lineup with James and Davis, and many fans had high hopes for them, after all, Wei Shao in the second half of the season last season played an impressive performance for fans. But after the start of the season, Westbrook was unable to find the state of the offensive end, on the one hand, he repeatedly made mistakes on the possession end, and could not establish a good chemical reaction with the team. On the other hand, Wei Shao's shooting performance is so iron that many teams have chosen to empty Wei Shao in the game, which has brought a great impact on the Lakers.
According to statistics, so far this season, Wei Shao has played 46 games for the Lakers, averaging only 18.5 points, 8 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 4.2 turnovers in an average of 34.9 minutes per game, shooting only 43.3% from the field and only 30.2% from three-point range. In terms of outside shooting, Westbrook has repeatedly had embarrassing shots smashing timers and three-no-stick situations this season. In terms of breaking through the basket that he is best at, Westbrook has often been blocked by opponents this season and inexplicably empty baskets have not scored or even dunked, and many fans have repeatedly ridiculed him.
In fact, during his time with the Wizards last season, especially in the second half of the season, Westbrook's performance on the offensive end was still very good, and it was often seen in games that hit more than three three-pointers in a single game. But after joining the Lakers this season, his offensive performance has declined so much, and the reason is likely to be inseparable from the following points. First of all, the poor run-in between Westbrook and the Lakers is the main reason. After joining the team of James and Davis, Westbrook's role on the court has changed a lot.
This doomed Westbrook to change his offensive style of play, and in many games this season, Westbrook began to assume the role of no-ball that he had rarely played in his previous career, rather than the ball-holding offense he was best at, which greatly affected his shooting efficiency. Secondly, after being repeatedly targeted and questioned by the outside world, Wei Shao's mentality has been greatly affected. Because at the beginning of the season, Wei Shao attached great importance to creating opportunities for his teammates and wanted to be able to connect with the team as soon as possible, so he always wanted to pass the ball for his teammates on the field.
But because of the lack of good chemistry, Westbrook often made a lot of mistakes on the field for a long time at the beginning of the season, which made him ridiculed by the outside world. Therefore, he began to decide to change his Dafa and replace the pass with more personal attacks, which also led to a sharp increase in the number of personal shots in many games, and in the case that the shooting rate could not be guaranteed, although the one-shot could reduce personal mistakes, it also became an important reason for his declining shooting rate.
Finally, age and injury are also extremely important factors. Wei Shao, who is now 33 years old, has experienced many injuries and injuries, large and small, which has a huge impact on Wei Shao, who relies on his explosive physical fitness to attack. It is clear from many games this season that Westbrook's current speed and ability to stay in the air have declined significantly, which has led to his inability to hit the basket as freely as before, and has also led to his frequent situation of being interfered with by opponents and causing him to fail to score on the basket.
In fact, as early as the peak of Wei Shao, there were already many experts predicting that when Wei Shao reached the age of 30 years old, his performance would decline greatly, and this prediction has indeed come true. The reason why Wei Shao will encounter such a big doubt is also related to the huge contract he is carrying. In short, if you want to get out of the predicament this season, or even extend your career in the future, Wei Shao needs to change his Dafa as soon as possible.