The NBA has been buzzing lately! It is the all-star interval, and the 75 stars in history are gathered together, which can be described as star-studded, and the Lakers are in the limelight! Abdul-Jabbar, Magic, West, James and other Lakers celebrities, as well as active players, have been selected into the 75th, becoming the most eye-catching pearl.
The Lakers are also busy officially, trumpeting it, but the Lakers have encountered a lot of trouble while ushering in good things.
Recently, the NBA name revealed that the Lakers can get DeRozan in the offseason, but because the Lakers are unwilling to provide DeRozan with a 3-year contract, resulting in the final bankruptcy.
Unwilling to give DeRozan a 3-year, 82 million contract, choose 2-year 91 million Westbrook, combined with the performances of Westbrook and DeRozan this season, the Lakers management's head, do not know what to think?
Secondly, the Lakers management completely cut off the team legend West, thus making Pelinka a think tank of the Bass family, which also made people cry out. In the end, the Lakers got nothing at the trade deadline, which the team said was agreed by James and Thick Brow. But James and Thick Brow did not agree to accept a quiet trading deadline.
disorderly! disorderly! It was chaos, coupled with the Lakers' poor record, all of which showed the Lakers' chaos, and at this time, James finally spoke: optimistic about the second half of the season, the team's chemistry is getting better and better, and we can achieve a good result.
James's speech is definitely leadership-level, but are the Lakers really as "promising" as James puts it? The answer is clearly not.
The Lakers are now 9th in the West with 27 wins and 31 losses, the 8th is the Clippers, 30 wins and 31 losses, the 7th Timberwolves 31 wins 28 losses, the distance is not small, and more importantly, the Lakers' own problems have not been solved.
The Lakers have performed badly this season, what is the biggest 2 points? The defensive pillar collapsed, and the team was full of injured soldiers.
The first is the Lakers' defense, which is the biggest factor in their regression! The Lakers defended no. 3rd in the league in the 2019-2020 season, and with the super dominance of James and Thick Brow, they won the championship. Last season, the Lakers' defense was no. 1 in the league, although they were out of the first round, but the fans also understood that if the thick eyebrows are not injured, the Lakers are still the most powerful contenders for the championship.
However, this season, the Lakers have conceded an average of 112.4 points per game, ranking fifth from the bottom in the league defensively, which is the root cause of the Lakers' poor record.
The Lakers gave up Players such as Pop, Schroeder and Kuzma this season in exchange for Westbrook, Munch, Anthony, Ariza, and Tucker. Indeed, the changes in the Lakers' lineup have made a lot of progress in their offense, averaging 110.9 points per game in the league, but these players do not have a good defensive player, and even are colanders on the defensive end, and the Lakers' abandonment of Pop, Kuzma, Schroeder, etc., is the foundation of the Lakers' previous defense, which makes the Lakers no matter how to adjust the tactics, the tenacious defense will not return, and the Lakers' combat strength will not come back.
Secondly, there is the Lakers' injury problem! As the oldest team on average this season, the Lakers have been choked by injuries this season. Munch, Tucker, Ariza, Nunn, Brother Thick-Brow, etc., have all suffered different injuries, and the team has not yet played the full lineup, which makes it difficult for the team to play 100% of its strength.
After entering the second half, the Lakers injury is still not resolved. Brother Thick Eyebrow suffered a mid-foot sprain, this season's regular season is likely to be all absent, even if it can be in the regular season, but if you want to rely on Thick Brow Brother to improve your record, it is basically impossible! Nunn, Anthony, Bradley and other big players also have injuries, which will continue to restrict the performance of the Lakers, and the team will find it difficult to achieve an outbreak in the second half, relying on the only players left.
The collapse of the defensive pillar and the haze of injuries have limited the Lakers' ability to take off in the second half of the journey, and the Lakers can't take off, but their opponents are fierce.
The Lakers are now ranked No. 9 in the West, and their top 2 biggest opponents to make the playoffs are the Clippers and Timberwolves.
The Clippers are missing George and Little Card 2 players, but the team is hard enough, the bench depth is enough, so that although their record has slipped, it is also stable on the Lakers, leading 1.5 wins! And after the All-Star Break, clippers new signing Powell is expected to return, the team strength will be strengthened again, and further afield, George is expected to make a comeback in March, Small Card is also expected to return this season, the Lakers want to surpass them, it is not so simple.
The Timberwolves are young, but their impact and offensive firepower are not comparable to the Lakers, Edwards, Towns, Russell's combination is getting better, plus Beasley, Beverley and others, the Lakers want to beat them, it is not so simple.
The Lakers are really going to a very difficult moment now, the team has many internal contradictions, and external opponents have encountered strong opponents, they don't have to say that they have won the championship this season, and even entered the playoffs are hanging.