Despite the Los Angeles Lakers' terrible season, this game against the New Orleans Pelicans was definitely the ugliest game of the season. Nine turnovers in a single quarter, 16 in the half, 30 points behind in the third quarter, boss Jenny Bass directly exited the field, Vogel had no way to take a technical foul, and finally could not prevent a 28-point fiasco. It's the Los Angeles Lakers' 60th game of the season and the ninth place in the West, and there's really not much time left for them.
A 28-point fiasco can only rank second for the Lakers this season, and they have also lost to the Denver Nuggets by 39 points. However, from the course of the game, from the message conveyed by the Lakers, this is indeed the worst game of the Lakers this season. The bad thing is that the Lakers, who have played 60 games, are still in the run-in period.
Signed the Twin Towers, the glory of the championship
LeBron James' championship season with the Los Angeles Lakers, two years ago, the Lakers had a twin-tower duo, with Howard and McGee paired. Most of the time, the two are the Lakers' regular rotation, even to the playoff stage, Howard and McGee have a very outstanding contribution, for the Lakers' championship trophy, made a great contribution. The Lakers signed Howard back last offseason and then signed Jordan Jr., presumably with this idea.
Unfortunately, the opening period was not long after the test, because Westbrook needed space to break through, so the Lakers simply abandoned Jordan Jr., and then Howard also fell out of the rotation. Even during Davis' injury, the Lakers preferred to use LeBron James in the fifth position. However, going around in a circle, the Lakers' five small lineups did not get too good results, the team kept losing, and Vogel really had no way. This time Davis was injured again, and Vogel immediately approached Howard and offered to give him some time.
So Howard returned to the starting lineup, and Jordan Jr. also appeared in this game against the Pelicans, but everything tells us how sad this Lakers are today.
Back to the original point, the Lakers' sadness
The Los Angeles Lakers collapsed in the third quarter, the team could neither score nor stop the Pelicans' offense, in such a situation, Vogel replaced Jordan Jr., what concept? Jordan Jr. has only played 4 games since 2022, and the last time he played, it was 22 days ago, such a player, suddenly played in the third quarter, not a strange move, but really no way. Jordan Jr. played 9 minutes of this game, with 2 points, 3 rebounds and 1 block on 1-of-1 shooting, as well as a long pass that was enough to be selected for the big five.
Vogel brought Howard back into the starting lineup and Jordan Jr. in the game, not because they could help the team, but because they held the chance to try it out, in case it worked. In other words, the Lakers went around in a circle and returned to the original point, still in the run-in period, or do not know which lineup has an effect.
Jenny Bass's early exit, the Lakers' home boos, are telling us how sad this Lakers are today. LeBron James can still deliver perfect numbers every night, but reality tells us that he is no longer the first person in the league, and the help he brings to the team is very limited. The Lakers' problem now is not defense, but offense.
As of now, the Lakers' defensive efficiency is still ranked 14th in the league, which is not good, but it has not dragged its feet. The reason why the record is so bad is because the offensive efficiency is too bad. The league's 12th-highest average of points per game, only supported by the fifth round count in the league, the league's seventh-to-last offensive efficiency, is their most real look.
The Lakers tried to solve the offense with a five-point lineup, but the Lakers' three-pointers were too bad, and in the case of three points, the opponent dared to shrink the defense, and the Lakers' breakthrough had no room. So, reactivating Howard and Jordan Jr. is not Vogel's change of heart, but really exhausted.