The NBA All-Star Game has ended, 30 teams have gained valuable rest time, the Lakers, as one of the oldest teams in the league, 8 days to recharge, they are finally going to launch another attack to the playoffs, the Lakers have only 24 games left this season, currently 27-31, ranking 9th in the West, 6.5 wins away from the Nuggets at no. 6 and 1.5 wins away from the Clippers at no. 8, after the team's training was over, head coach Vogel talked about the team's goal for the next 24 games, he said: We have to go all out, play the basketball we want to see, get as many wins as possible, and we are now aiming to enter the top 6 in the West.
Vogel set a goal for the whole team before the Lakers started, they have to surpass the Nuggets, Timberwolves, Clippers to rise to the top 6 in the West, Vogel also knows that for the current Lakers, such a task is very difficult, Vogel said: No matter how difficult it is, we will go all out to compete, for all NBA teams, before the start of the playoffs, the team will adjust the state to the best is very critical, for the Lakers, as long as the effort can achieve the goal of the top 6 in the West. The Lakers currently face 5 major problems, and if they can be effectively solved, the playoffs have a good chance.
First, when will Davis come back? Davis in the game against the Jazz, the right ankle sprain, fortunately no fracture, just structural damage, need to rest for a period of time, Davis is the Lakers' inner pillar, his defense is the Lakers urgently needed, if he can come back early, the Lakers are strong, there is a full chance to compete for the playoffs.
Second, how to solve the team's defensive problems? The Lakers' defense is the worst in recent seasons, and if they want to enter the playoffs, the defensive problems must be solved, whether Westbrook or James need them to lead the whole team to defend.
Third, can the Lakers buy out the market and still get immediate combat power? At present, there is still a week to go before the buyout market deadline, the Lakers have not produced any trades before the trade deadline, Pelinka has put more targets on the buyout market, and now the lineup lacks players who can defend outside, Dragic joins the Nets, the Lakers are intentional but helpless, whether they can recruit immediate combat power is a problem that Perrinka urgently needs to solve.
Fourth, can Wei Shao be stable? This season, Westbrook's state has been ups and downs, shooting percentage and three-point shooting rate have reached a new career low, in the case of Davis injury, Westbrook needs to become the team's second scoring point, ease the pressure on James, if Westbrook still can not adjust their own scoring and mistakes, the Lakers will become difficult.
Fifth, can the "full strength" that fans expect arrive in advance? James's role in the Lakers is self-evident, although James is 37 years old, but every year near the playoffs he will have an outbreak period, and the Lakers want to hit the top 6 in the West, James must make more contributions, he can survive, the Lakers have great hopes.
Five problems are crucial for the Lakers, each of which will directly affect the difficulty of the Lakers to impact the playoffs, and these problems can only be solved by the Lakers themselves. Open the schedule, in fact, the Lakers' next 24 games are not easy, according to US media statistics, 30 teams remaining schedule difficulty ranking, Lakers difficulty ranked third, the top two are bucks and bulls, the lakers' average win rate of the remaining opponents is as high as 53.8%, and the Lakers' current winning rate is only 46.6%, it can be said that if they do not do their best, let alone the playoffs, it is likely that the top 9 in the West cannot be guaranteed. All the Lakers have a chance, and all the opportunities are still in their own hands, and I hope they can withstand the pressure and live up to expectations.