The NBA's 21-22 season is more than halfway through, the lineup of each team has entered the final stage, and the current dark horse team has the Bulls and Warriors, and the traditional giants Suns, Bucks and Jazz have a stable record. The Nets and Lakers, which attracted the attention of fans before the season, have become marginal teams in the playoffs due to injuries to their main players and poor lineup run-ins, and they are currently in a very bad situation.
So far this season, teams have produced a number of players of good quality, who are even more valuable on the field than the higher-paid stars, and the six players who have currently performed better than the core of the team:
6. Kuzma replaces Hachimura
Comparison of the data of the two players:
Kuzma: 16.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 45.6 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from three-point range
Yamura: 7.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 44% from the field and 34.6% from three-point range
At the 2019 NBA Draft, The Japanese-American mixed-race Yamura was finally selected by the Wizards with the ninth pick in the first round with excellent physical fitness and solid basketball basic skills. In the rookie season, Wall's consecutive injuries deprived the Wizards of hope of entering the playoffs, and the team was forced to start a rebuilding journey, and the technically comprehensive no. 3 and 4 swing man Yamura Tsuki became the focus of the team's training.
In the 19-21 season, Hachimura's playing time was stable at more than 30 minutes, averaging 13.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, and his stable mid-range shooting and basket "eating cake" ability made him firmly in the team's starting lineup. In the context of various trade rumors in the offseason, only Yamura and Beal were labeled non-selling by the team, which is enough to prove his importance in the team.
The turning point came in the summer of 2021, when Hachimura gradually faded out of the basketball arena after helping the Japanese men's basketball team play the Tokyo Olympic Games, and some media claimed that it was a psychological problem, but the authenticity remained to be examined. At the same moment, the Wizards and the Lakers had an earthquake-level big deal, Westbrook chose to join Los Angeles, the Wizards got Kuzma, Harrell and Pop, three big players, and the lineup also ushered in a huge change.
Yatsumura was unable to return to the team for various reasons, and new signing Kuzma took his original starting position, and the youngster who left the Los Angeles spotlight came to Washington to show his strength. In the 16 games since 2022, Kuzma has averaged 35.3 minutes per game, 22.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 blocks, shooting 51.2% from the field and 37.5% from three-point range, which is the core data of the team.
Compared with Bill with better data, Kuzma is the "real thigh" of this season's Wizards, he has repeatedly hit key shots in the final moments of the game, and his defensive ability, which has been questioned by Lakers fans, has responded to questions through tough frontcourt rebounds and blocks. In contrast, Hachimura, who returned to the team in the middle of the season, made all 13 appearances as a substitute, and his playing time slipped to 17.1 minutes, which has become a marginal figure of the team.
5. Bridges replaces Hayward
Bridges: 19.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1 steal, 48.6% from the field and 31.2% from three-point range.
Hayward: 16.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1 steal, 46.1% from the field and 38.9% from three-point range.
In the summer of 2017, Hayward, known as the "strongest white man", chose to leave the Utah Jazz and join the giants Celtics at the top salary, which was thought to be a new starting point for his career, but a serious injury in the opener brought him to the bottom of his career. After a season of recovery, Hayward was able to get back on the field, but the lack of explosive power gradually transformed him into an outside set scorer.
After two seasons in the Green Army, Hayward chose to jump out of the contract in the summer of 2020 to test the free market, and the Charlotte Hornets in the East offered him a four-year, $120 million top salary contract.
Giving a major injury to an athlete with a maximum salary, home fans began to ridicule Joe, who had not seen the previous selection of people, but Hayward conquered the home team fans with an average of 19.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game in the 20-21 season, and a three-point shooting rate of 41.5%.
This season, Hayward is firmly at the top of the Hornets with an annual salary of $29.93 million, and should be the core player of the team, but Bridges, who did not want to be in the same position as him and was in a contract year, was sharp. Compared to Hayward, who returned to the floor stream, the 23-year-old Bridges is more explosive and more threatening to the impact of the interior, averaging 20+8 per game in more than a dozen games at the beginning of the season, allowing him to get the favor of the Hornets coaching staff and management.
In order to give the youngster more room to play, Hayward became a victim, ranking fifth in the team with 12.9 shots per game, even less than Rozier and Oubre. In the recent game against the Heat, Hayward played 22 minutes of seven shots, only three rebounds and two assists, from the course of the whole game, Hayward has no tactical position, in stark contrast to the excited Bridges around him.
4. Garland replaces Sexton
Garland: 19.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 46.7% from the field and 36.7% from three-point range
Sexton: 16 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 45.3% from the field and 24.4% from three-point range
In this season's All-Star Eastern Conference bench roster, 22-year-old Garland was successfully selected, becoming the cavaliers' first all-star player after James and Love in 2018. Removing the external factor of the All-Star event in Cleveland, Garland's average per game and his record of leading the Cavaliers to fourth place in the East are worthy of the honor of being selected as an All-Star.
In the 2019 draft, the Cavaliers used a whole year to draw the fifth pick, and finally chose Garland, who is only 1.85 meters tall, to know that the Cavaliers at this time already has sexton of the same height, this choice can be described as risky. But fortunately, the two playing styles are different, Sexton is biased towards individual offense, and Garland is a comprehensive backcourt player who can attack and defend.
Fate is really difficult to figure out, who would have thought that Sexton, who averaged 24.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game last season, suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee this season, and had no choice but to be reimbursed for the season. This sudden injury has pushed Garland to the center of the stage, and he has played a full range of life with the three armed forces of the whole team, and the Cavaliers have an Eastern Fish Belly team that has become a strong eastern team.
Interestingly, Galander's Sexton, who has better statistics than last season, took the lead in the All-Star race, and his success was by no means lucky, just as the so-called "opportunities are always left to those who are prepared", at the age of 22, he has a strong ability to control the court, and he has become the absolute core of the Cavaliers' rebuilding.
In contrast, Sexton, although the Cavaliers management announced that they would not trade him for the time being, but his personal poor defensive and organizational skills are hard injuries, and I believe that as long as the opponent's chips are properly opened, Sexton may be involved in the trading storm at any time.
3. VanVleet replaces Siakam
VanVleet: 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 41.6 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from three-point range.
Siakam: 21.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.4 steals, 47.7% shooting, 35% three-point shooting
Last offseason, when the Raptors' legendary point guard Lowry chose to join the three-year, $85 million Heat, home fans believed that the team was about to enter an era of reconstruction, after all, with the existing lineup, it is difficult to compete for a playoff spot. But so far this season, the Raptors have achieved a record of 28 wins and 23 losses, ranking seventh in the East, and the Hawks in the East have a 3.5 win gap, which is amazing.
It was not Siakam, who earned a four-year salary of 137 million, but VanVleet, who played the main position step by step from the draft, the point guard who was less than 1.85 meters tall, and in the 2019 Finals against the Warriors, he repeatedly scored three-pointers against the sky to help the Raptors win the first championship in team history, and the title of "Van Jordan" did not go away.
With the departure of team leader Lowry, VanVleet has taken on more organizational tasks for the team, currently averaging a career-high of 7.2 assists per game; on the scoring end, he is also unrelenting, averaging 9.9 three-pointers per game and hitting 3.9 shots, second only to the all-time three-point king Curry. What is more respected by fans is that VanVleet averaged 38.6 minutes per game, ranking first in the league, and the current results that the Raptors can achieve are inseparable from the short point guard who runs physically on the court.
And Siakam, who has a top salary, although the data is not inferior to VanVleet, he clearly belongs to the player who can add icing on the cake and cannot send charcoal in the snow. Compared to the small forwards in the same position (Durant, Leonard, George), Siakam does not have the ability to single with his back, and his main means of scoring relies on a 2.22m arm span to go down to the basket. For that reason alone, he has less influence on the team than Van Vleet, who can create scoring opportunities.
While VanVleet is an All-Star this season, his height and mundane physicality doom him and Siakam not to be the leaders of a team. At present, the Raptors are in the stage of "riding a donkey to find a horse", with the success of Leonard before, the team is more inclined to recruit superstars who have proved their strength, and both of them may be sent as chips.
2. Haliburton replaces Fox
Halliburton: 14.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 45.7% from the field and 41.3% from three-point range
Fox: 21 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.2 steals, 45.8% shooting, 24.8% from three-point range
As the most famous fish belly team in the West, after more than a decade of swinging, the management finally recognized the 1.91m tall, breakthrough-fast Fox as the core of the team's reconstruction, and offered him a five-year, $163 million renewal contract in the summer of 2020.
After winning a big contract, Fox averaged 25.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game last season, and his personal performance was called a team leader, but he only led the team to a record of 31 wins and 41 losses throughout the season, and finally ranked fourth from the bottom in the West, and did not qualify for the playoffs.
So far this season, the past record is only 20 wins and 35 losses, ranking third from the bottom in the West, behind him are the Thunder and Rockets that have been determined to be rotten, such performance is difficult to get the recognition of home fans and team management, and the two sides have pointed the team's loss at Fox, who is holding the top salary. The 24-year-old, who has almost zero threats from outside the three-point line this season, has allowed opponents to be better placed on the defensive end, and keeping a close eye on his defensive route can limit his play very well.
Although the Kings' overall performance this season has been sluggish, the first round of 2020 No. 12 Harry Burton played a different role, the 21-year-old youngster, 1.96 meters tall, outside three-point shooting is accurate. What is more noteworthy for fans is that his overall view on the court is as good as Garlander's, and compared to Fox's attack, he pays more attention to the rhythm of the game and the timing of the ball, and belongs to the natural leader type player.
In today's game against the Thunder, Halliburton scored 13 points, 6 rebounds and 17 assists on 5-of-13 shooting, including 17 assists in a single game, making him the fourth U21 member of the NBA in nearly 15 years to achieve this achievement, followed by Doncic, Garland and Trae Young. Given that all three of his predecessors were already All-Star players, the era of halliburton could be just around the corner.
At the moment, the Kings management has put the core Fox on the shelf, and their preferred players are Simmons of the 76ers and Sabonis of the Pacers, but the two teams do not seem to be interested in the Kings offer, and the deal has not made any progress so far. If the Kings want to get out of their current predicament, the team's big change of blood is an inevitable step to go through, and I believe that Halliburton, who has a good overall view, will not become a bargaining chip for the transaction.
1. Munch replaces Wei Shao
Munch: 13 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 47.3 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from three-point range.
Westbrook: 18.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 43.8% shooting, 30% three-point shooting
As the most controversial star in the league, Westbrook's performance this season is unbearable, poor shooting percentage, frequent mistakes, careless defense, coupled with the sneering of Los Angeles fans, Westbrook seems to have been disturbed by the sluggish play on the field and the media's doubts, and the recent play has even made fans have a "broken jar broken" posture.
In the Lakers' all-American live game against the Knicks, Westbrook shot 1 of 10, contributed only 5 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 turnovers, and was pinned to the bench by Vogel in the key overtime, and finally the Lakers won hard under the strong play of James, Munch and Thick Brow. Among them, Munch shot 11 of 20 from the field, contributing 29 points and 2 assists, becoming the most stable scorer around Zhan Mei.
At present, The biggest problem of Westbrook is not on the offensive end, but on the defensive end that is often ignored by fans, he is in the backcourt to pinch the waist defense, substitution is not timely to make up defense, blind steals and a series of other operations, so that the opponent's outside shooter group shot too easily, which led to the Lakers in a short period of time easy to collapse.
The reason why Wei Shao was pushed to the forefront by fans is inseparable from his annual salary of up to $44 million this season, and after the Lakers got Wei Shao, the amount of luxury taxes this season came to $41.77 million, creating a record high, high pay low returns, and it is naturally difficult for management and fans to pay.
In stark contrast to The Low Play of Westbrook is Munch, who joined the Lakers with a base salary, the No. 11 pick in the first round of the 2017 draft, after the Hornets spent four rookie seasons, was unpopular in last year's free market, and finally was successfully picked up by the Lakers.
As a running jump guard, Munch's outside shooting feel is extremely good, currently averaging 5.6 three-pointers per game, hitting 2.3 shots, and ranking first in the team with 40.9% three-point shooting. At present, Munch's performance has allowed him to sit in the position of the team's third scorer, and it is believed that this summer, he will easily get a contract with an annual salary of more than 10 million.