In the 19-year offseason, due to the impact of the "Leonard Incident", the Lakers not only missed the opportunity to form the Big Three, but also missed the best opportunity to strengthen the rotation lineup.
I thought that the Lakers were likely to waste James another peak season, but after the "Leonard Incident", the Lakers management made a decisive decision - through the trade to get the superstar thick eyebrows, cut Luke Walton, hired experienced Vogel as the team manager, but also introduced Green, Howard and other high-quality immediate combat strength...
In the 19-20 season, the Lakers' paper lineup and rotation depth were not the best in the league, nor was it the biggest championship favorite in the eyes of the outside world. But under Vogel's coaching, James and Thick Brow each played their biggest advantage that season, and led the Lakers to the "First West + Championship" with a little ease...
21 years of Lakers defense failed, mainly because the "Zhan Mei combination" was affected by injuries?
After winning the championship for 20 years, James was in a state of undiminished status at the height of the rising eyebrows at that time. I thought the Lakers had a good chance of defending their title in the 21-year playoffs, or even another triple-title dynasty after completing the "OK combination".
Unexpectedly, despite targeted reinforcements in the 20-21 season - the introduction of Schroeder, Harrell, Drummond, Gasol Jr., etc., the much-anticipated Lakers could not play the expected results, and only got the "Seventh + Playoff Round trip in the West" that season.
Although the Lakers only achieved the "seventh round of the regular season in the West + the first round of the playoffs" last season, it did not dampen their confidence in impacting the championship at all. Because of the healthy "Zhan Mei combination" in the 19-20 season, the Lakers have been able to play dominance in the regular season and playoffs at the same time, and won the first + championship in the West.
And most of the reasons for the Lakers' poor performance last season were attributed to the injuries of James and thick eyebrows. After all, James' 25.4 points, 7.9 boards and 7.9 assists before the injury, but after the injury, it slipped to 21.0 points, 5.8 boards and 6.8 assists; thick eyebrows fell from 22.5 points, 8.4 boards + 54.3% shooting rate, to 20.6 points, 7.2 boards + 40.4% shooting rate.
It is also because of the large state ups and downs before and after the injuries of James and Thick Brow, coupled with the injury of Thick Brow in the first round of the playoffs, so last offseason Lakers management considered not how to rebuild the team, but how to continue to build a championship lineup around the "Zhan Mei Combination". So, Wei Shao came, and the "Zhan WeiMei" super three giants were established...
Sitting on the "super big three lineup, the Lakers can't even squeeze into the top eight in the West?"
Before the start of the new season, the Lakers Big Three are considered to be one of the teams most likely to break out of the West and most likely to win the championship. But after the start of the new season, the Lakers did not play a dominant force: successively lost to the Suns, Warriors, Bucks and other teams can be understood, but the Lakers have also lost to the Timberwolves, Knicks, Thunder and other weak teams many times...
However, even if the Overall Record of the Lakers in the new season is not good, before the halfway point of the season, there are always many people who firmly believe that the Lakers' Big Three can always find the right way to win, play a chemical reaction, and then win a long winning streak to determine their top three positions in the West.
But with the Lakers losing to Philadelphia, Hornets, Hawks, Clippers, Bucks, Trail Blazers, and Warriors in the last 10 games, they have won only 3 in the last 10 games, and the poor form of 10-7 losses has completely dropped them out of the top eight in the West.
However, the recent record of 3 wins and 7 losses is actually not the most fatal for the Lakers, after all, as long as the big three are still there, the Lakers will definitely be able to enter the playoffs. The more fatal blow to them was a sprained right foot arch in the recent second quarter with the Jazz and is expected to miss at least four weeks.
So far in the new season, Thick Brow can not only contribute 23.1 points, 9.7 boards and 2.9 assists per game, 53.7% shooting percentage performance, his importance to the Lakers on the defensive end is irreplaceable. But he collapsed at the key moment when the Lakers impacted the playoffs, and the blows caused to the Lakers at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends can be imagined.
As of now, the Lakers only have a record of 27 wins and 31 losses to the ninth place in the West, and the Timberwolves and Clippers in the seventh and eighth places in the West have opened up a certain win difference, the poor record coupled with the injury of the thick eyebrows, it is really difficult to return to the top eight in the West in the current state of the Lakers, and even after the thick eyebrow injury retreats, they directly fall out of the top ten in the West with a wave.
So, the record is not good + thick eyebrow injury retreat, how should the Lakers complete self-help next?
1. Look forward to Wei Shao's performance in the second two months of the Rockets and Wizards period. In fact, in the early days of Wei Shao joining the Rockets and Wizards, due to the team's poor record and relatively "crotch", Wei Shao was once regarded as a "team tumor". But what the two seasons are the same is that late in the season, Wei Shao has re-proved himself through explosive output.
In the last two months of the Wizards, Wei Shao used a large triple-double performance of averaging 23.1 points, 13.6 boards and 13.2 assists per game, and 43.5% shooting percentage, forcing the poorly recorded Wizards into the playoffs; and in the last two months of Wei Shao's joining the Rockets, he played an efficient scoring performance of 32.2 points, 8.1 boards, 6.9 assists, and 53.1% shooting.
Judging from Wei Shao's performance after joining the Lakers in the new season, it obviously did not meet the expectations of the outside world. Averaging only 18.3 points, 7.8 boards and 7.5 assists per game, 43.7% shooting percentage, neither a large triple-double nor an efficient scoring performance...
Now, after the thick eyebrow injury, Wei Shao is bound to get more opportunities, and his tactical status will be raised accordingly. If after the All-Star Game, Wei Shao can replicate the experience of the previous two years and re-play the personal performance of the superstar, then even if the thick eyebrows are retired, the Lakers can still make steady progress to the playoffs.
2. Let Howard enter the starting lineup and count on the return of "Full Strength Zhan". Some time ago, when the thick eyebrow injury retreated, Vogel forcibly pushed James to the fifth position, although it also achieved good results, but it could not fully exert James's strength.
After all, the current James is different from the Cavaliers, although the overall state is still good, but he no longer has a superhuman physical advantage. Once James stands in the fifth position, he may get more rebounds and get more comprehensive data, but this will invisibly weaken James's organizational, defensive, and scoring competitiveness.
If James is to return to the "all-out" mode of the past, then Vogel will have to trust Howard to put him in the starting lineup and reduce the pressure on James' interior. Otherwise, even if James's regular data will look better, but he loses his physical advantage, his performance at key moments in the game is destined to be more "crotch-pulling"...
3. By buying out the market, sign a suitable center to save the field. This year, the Lakers management has achieved nothing before the trade day deadline with the team's poor record and the Big Three's inability to play chemistry, which is disappointing. Originally, if the Lakers' big three were together, the Lakers would not be reduced to losing the playoffs.
But now that the return date after the thick eyebrow injury is undecided, it is difficult to guarantee a playoff spot in the overall state of the Lakers. And starting with Howard can reduce The burden on James, but it is not fully suitable for the Lakers.
Because once Howard or Drummond starts, with their play style and ability, they can indeed enhance the Lakers' interior defense, but it will inevitably compress the Lakers' space on the court, directly affecting the play of Westbrook...
So if the Lakers want to secure a playoff spot and save themselves in the absence of thick eyebrows, then it is necessary to introduce a suitable center in the buyout market. For example, the Magic's little Lopez has also developed a certain three-point ability in recent years, and if it is bought out, it is a good choice for the Lakers' interior line.
In summary, the lakers in the post-James era have experienced both the highlight of winning the championship trophy in 20 years and the downturn of the playoffs in 21 years, and now they are confused because of poor records + thick eyebrow injuries.
If the follow-up Westbrook can't come forward in time, James can't play the "full strength" performance, and even the management has nothing to gain in the buyout market, then this year's Lakers will not say that they have completed self-help, and then lose like before the All-Star game may not even be able to get a playoff quota.