Unfortunately! After the Lakers ended their road trip with three consecutive losses, they finally defeated the Blazers at home, ending the losing streak, against the Clippers, the Lakers were killed by Reggie Jackson in the final moments, but thick eyebrows proved that he was an indispensable player for the team with 30+ games in three consecutive games. James may have to miss a few games because of his swollen knees, and without James' Lakers, how can they get more wins?
The Repeated reversals of the Lakers this season show that there are some serious problems with the team itself. The aging of the team lineup and the wide range of injuries on players have laid the groundwork for the instability of the Lakers this season. It's easy to win 1 or 2 games with the players in hot form. However, if you want to maintain a high winning rate in the long run, the Lakers must make great adjustments in terms of personnel adjustment and strategic deployment.
One of the biggest deals the Lakers made in the offseason was the introduction of Westbrook, forming a luxury version of the Big Three. But with the Lakers, the team's record has been hovering on the edge of the playoffs. If you still say that the Lakers are a big hit to win the championship, I am afraid that only Los Angeles fans are willing to stubbornly believe in the team in front of them. But after all, the Lakers' talent is there, how far this season can go, no one dares to make a conclusion.
Although Wei Shao and James are not very compatible, the addition of Wei Shao has indeed improved the lakers' offensive and defensive conversion efficiency. Last season the Lakers had an offensive efficiency of 108.9, 21st in the league, 98.6 in tempo and 17th in the league. This season, the Lakers' offensive rhythm has reached 100.5, the third in the league, and the average score of fast attack is also 1.6 points more than last season. But the Lakers' defensive efficiency fell to 110.3, compared to 107 last season, the league's first. The loss of defense is the main reason why the Lakers have lost their competitiveness.
Since Durant left the Thunder, Westbrook's defensive efficiency has begun to decrease year by year. Because he put more energy into the three doubles. As long as the opponent chooses to shoot, Wei Shao will subconsciously shrink the basket to compete for rebounds, and empty the players who are in his position. In addition, Westbrook's emotionality will make him often send out gambling steals in matches, and the consequences of this are not only easy to leak, but sometimes lose fouls. Westbrook has been playing physically on the offensive end, and his technique and skill haven't improved much over the years. When you are young, you can rely on speed and explosive power to break through dunks and kill all sides. But as age increases and explosiveness declines, Westbrook's shortcomings of not shooting are amplified by extreme speed. Defenders shrink under the basket and let Westbrook empty shots are not uncommon in the game. And Wei Shao's hasty shots are often exchanged for outrageous shots like playing timers.
If Westbrook wants to lead the Lakers to more victories, he must start from defense and control the ball reasonably. The defensive end sticks to the opposing players one-on-one, so as not to lose position and not to gamble steals. On the offensive end, try to shoot as few shots as possible, and create shooting space for Munch and thick eyebrows that are sure to shoot. He used his teammates' blocks to attack the basket to create lethality. Once James returns, Westbrook's playing time is staggered with James as much as possible, which can better promote the play of role players.
Then look at the Overall Lakers. Whether the Lakers play a strong team or a weak team, it feels like it is five or five, and playing a strong team will almost lose. The main reason for this is that Zhan Mei and the two are absent for a long time and they are not fully equipped to play on the field. Because Zhan Mei has won the championship and has been plagued by injuries for a long time. Therefore, Zhan Mei's performance on the court did not have the determination to fight every game when he first cooperated. The team leader's on-court performance will affect the playing attitude of the role players, so the Lakers as a whole will have a situation where everyone loses.
On the offensive end, the Lakers did not block the defender who was super threatening with the ball after demolition. He can play such a role when James is on the floor, but once James is off the court, the Lakers' offense will be seriously hindered. The prototype of a strong team is generally composed of a player with stable shooting and strong organizational skills. For example, the current sun, warriors, loners and so on. Because such a ball carrier can change the opponent's defensive formation by shooting and passing. If Wei Shao did not shoot, his own lethality would be greatly reduced. The Lakers' only defenders with this ability are Munch and Nunn. Therefore, after The comeback of Nunn, it is possible to increase the blocking of Nunn, Munch and Zhan Mei in the game, and reduce the proportion of Tucker and Wei Shao holding the ball. Once the Lakers' offensive efficiency after the demolition becomes higher, the Lakers' players on the court will have more scoring opportunities.
Ever since Vogel pushed James up to the No. 5 position to win some games, Vogel has enjoyed playing the five-little offensive style. In fact, the main reason why the Lakers can win is based on James's personal super ability. If you were given a Heat James, the team would have a good record no matter what game they played. Now james is absent, the team's inner line has been broken into a sieve, and the rebounding has been abused by the opponent. At this time, if Howard is given some more playing time, the Lakers will not be reversed.
Finally, take a look at the Lakers' defense this season. Since sending away Kuzma, Caruso and Pope, the Lakers' overall defensive system is no longer so airtight. Players on the front line are either short or old, and none of them are known for their defense. The Lakers didn't give their opponents a sense of pressure on the defensive end, which is the main reason why they often lose this season. To pick up the defense of yesteryear, the Lakers must work the front. Reeves Jr. plays seriously and has a positive defensive attitude, and he seems to have become the new favorite of the Lakers. Leaving him at the offensive and defensive ends of the court at key moments will definitely help the Lakers. Stanley is 1.98m tall and has the body and speed to effectively limit the scores of opponents in the 1st to 3rd positions. Effectively increasing Stanley and Reeves Jr. playing time will enhance the Lakers' overall defense.
At the same time, it is not clear why Vogel would abandon Bazemore and Howard altogether. Bazemore has proven himself to be a great 3D player at the Warriors. Coming to the Lakers because of its inefficient performance, it has been completely abandoned by Vogel. But With a height of 1.97m and a weight of 93 kilograms, Bazmore can effectively defend any forward guard player. Each game gives Bazemore a certain amount of playing time, allowing him to slowly find the state of the game, which will definitely improve the overall strength of the Lakers.
This season, Howard has been on the hot search for many times because of his efficient performance. In the win over the Trail Blazers, Howard played 11 minutes and had 10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block on 4-of-6 shooting. Howard's role in the Lakers is not just as simple as guarding the basket, his diligence and positive playing will also affect the teammates around him. If the average game can give Howard 15 minutes of playing time, the Lakers' overall defensive efficiency will not slip down the league. If the Lakers make adjustments in accordance with the above three aspects, I believe that the Lakers' record will be improved.
In fact, the Lakers' off-season introduction of Wei Shao is a big gamble, if the bet is lost, everyone in the Lakers will be burdened by failure. Wei Shao has become the Lakers' most failed reinforcement in recent years.