On February 10, Beijing time, before the Lakers' home game against the Blazers, the team's head coach Vogel was interviewed by the media, during which he talked about Westbrook, who would miss this game, and put forward 3 major requirements for him.
Westbrook has been booed by Lakers live fans for two consecutive home games due to poor performances. Westbrook was discarded in overtime against the Knicks, and he was discarded in the final quarter against the Bucks. Many media outlets and journalists have also asked Vogel what Westbrook needs to do to get back on the final-minute finishing line-up.
Vogel said, "If you're struggling on the offensive end, then I want you to influence the game in other ways. Scoring or organizing is just a way to help the team win, and for Russell, we want him to make good game decisions, attack the basket more, end the scoring efficiently, reduce his mistakes, and work the defensive end. ”
More breakthroughs improve scoring efficiency and reduce turnovers while trying to defend. This is Vogel's 3 major requirements for Wei Shao, but embarrassingly, many Lakers fans believe that these 3 requirements, Wei Shao may not be able to do one.
At present, Westbrook's body has declined significantly compared to its peak, and it is no longer possible to continuously break through the opponent's defense line as before, and his long-range shooting ability has always been a short board, often being let go by the opponent. At the peak of his career, Wei Shao was not an efficient scorer, and now that he has already come down to the peak, it is naturally even more impossible to cut points efficiently.
The requirement to reduce mistakes is also difficult for Wei Shao. Because Wei Shao wants to play must have a lot of ball in hand, and the ball is more, and the number of his mistakes will naturally rise. But if he does not give Wei Shao the ball, his mistakes may be reduced, but a Wei Shao who does not hold the ball and cannot open up space, how useful he is on the offensive end, but also makes people doubt.
As for working the defensive end, it is to make Wei Shao less distracted, improve concentration and reading of the game. Frankly speaking, this requirement is difficult to achieve today's Wei Shao, not to mention that the lakers' entire team's defensive system has not been built well, and wei Shao's current defensive ability is insufficient, and the whole team no longer has a good defensive system, counting on him to defend well, and it is not very reliable.
So instead of expecting Wei Shao to meet Vogel's 3 requirements, it is better to simply recognize the reality and accept that he is abandoned at a critical moment, and may even play a pseudo-starter or substitute in the future. When in good shape, the appropriate use of Westbrook is the best way for the Lakers. Then it's offseason and trying to find a way to find another trade.