As the ceiling of the world basketball league, the success of the NBA is inseparable from the following three points:
(1) Mature and professional business model
(2) Perfect and scientific talent selection mechanism
(3) Generous and generous welfare benefits
At present, the NBA league has more than 400 top basketball players from all over the world, the so-called "very few people born with a golden spoon", less than 10% of them can truly become stars, and the rest of the role players want to survive in the league with a five-year elimination rate of more than 60%, in addition to the excellent strength on the court, off-court luck and opportunity are also indispensable.
Whenever the player trade deadline is open, each team will strengthen more or less according to its own goals, the flow of players brings new vitality to the league, and the players who are traded also usher in an opportunity. A new team, a new manager, a new tactical system, enough to change the career of a role player.
Take stock of the seven players who have been reborn this season:
7. Marvin Bagley (23)
Kings stats: 9.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 46.3 percent shooting, 74.5 percent from the free throws
Pistons stats: 15.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1 assist, shooting 55.1% from the field and 59.1% from the free throws.
In the 2018 draft, Barkley, who is 2.11 meters tall and has an arm span of 2.15 meters, and plays as a big forward, was selected by the Kings in the second pick, behind him are Doncic, Trae Young, Porter Jr. and Alexander, all of whom have received super top salary contracts last year, while Barkley, who is the top show, has gradually become popular with the Sacramento Kings.
Looking back at Barkley's college career, attending the famous basketball school Duke University, throughout the 17-18 season (freshman year), Bagley averaged 20.7 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1 block in 33 minutes of playing time, and reached a double-double on 22 occasions, breaking the NCAA Atlantic Coast League record. In today's era of small ball, when interior players are scarce, playing a stable role in Ayton and Bagley has naturally become the first choice for rebuilding the team.
When he first entered the league, Barkley was more like a blue-collar center than Doncic and Trae Young, and at this time, the Kings management wanted to conform to the small-ball trend, the core of the team's reconstruction was Fox and Hield, and Barkley did not have a fixed tactical arrangement and shot guarantee. Still, Barkley relied on enthusiasm to grab 2.6 frontcourt rebounds in his rookie season, averaging 14.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game as a substitute.
After Barkley's rookie season, the Kings management signed Walton as the team's head coach on a four-year contract, the "rookie" manager abandoned by the Lakers, as soon as he took office, he followed the Golden State Warriors to play fast, behind the good offensive data is a complete abandonment of defense, at this time Bagley failed to get Walton's trust, competing with Cauley Stein and Holmes for playing time.
During his three and a half seasons with the Kings, team management still did not recognize Bagley's talent, and the latter was also unhappy with the neglected situation, and the two sides finally chose to break up peacefully after the trade market opened this season, with the Kings, Pistons, Bucks and Clippers reaching a four-way deal:
The Kings got: Jackson, Lyles and Divinzenzo
Pistons get: Bagley
The Bucks got: Ibaka and two future second-round picks
The Clippers got: Hood and Ojele
Coming to the Pistons, which were in ruins and short of internal manpower, Bagley quickly sat in the main position, increasing his playing time to 27 minutes, and more shot opportunities in exchange for better statistics. As a weak player, Bagley currently needs to strengthen the awareness of internal defense and the ability to protect the frame, fortunately, he is only 23 years old, the future growth space is very large, I believe that the Pistons who do not require records will provide him with a fertile soil.
6. Covington (31 years old)
Trail Blazer stats: 7.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals, shooting 38.1% from the field and 34.3% from three-point range
Clippers stats: 9.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 47.2 percent shooting, 40.3 percent three-point range
With a height of 2.01 meters, an arm span of 2.18 meters and a weight of 100 kilograms, this is the static data of Covington's physical test, as a 2-3 swing man, he has the potential of a top offensive and defensive player. But in the 2013 draft, Covington, who had no independent offensive ability, regrettably lost the election, and in order to be able to enter the NBA as he wished, he went through a number of crazy trials, and finally got an unsecured contract from the Rockets.
In his rookie season, Covington was ruthlessly cut after playing seven games for Houston, ending his first season with an average of 2.3 points per game. In order to be able to stand in the NBA, Covington found his own position in the summer of 2014, did not have the ability to hold the ball offensively and then transformed into a defense, in order to conform to the trend of small balls, began to practice three-pointers.
Covington's efforts were recognized by the 76ers' management, and he maintained an average of 12 points, 6 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game for the next six seasons, successfully transforming from a failed draft to the league's top offensive and defensive player.
In the summer of 2020, the Rockets made a deal with the Blazers, sending Covington to Portland to enhance the defensive ability of the front, and came to a team that only attacked and could not defend, and Covington's role was greatly reduced, and the offensive efficiency was also reduced. This season, as the Trail Blazers' record fell out of the top eight in the West, lillard, the core of the team, was injured, and management was forced to start rebuilding, trading Covington as a chip to the Clippers after the free market opened.
The Blazers sent Powell and Covington to get Bledsoe, Winslow, 2021 No. 21 Johnson and a 2025 second-round pick (from the Pistons) from the Clippers.
The Clippers have withdrawn from the title race this season due to injuries to George and Leonard, and under Tyrenlu's coaching, Covington has played more freely on this "civilian" team, and his offensive efficiency has skyrocketed. This summer, the Clippers, which own Covington bird rights, if they can complete the contract extension with him, then the defensive combination of George + Leonard + Covington is simply perfect, and the probability of winning the championship next season will be greatly improved.
5. Halliburton (22 years old)
Kings stats: 14.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 45.7 percent shooting, 41.3 percent three-point range
Pacers stats: 16.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 47.4 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from three-point range.
2020 is a veritable draft year, Edwards, Wiseman, Tanhua Lamelo Ball, these three compared to the previous two years into the league doncic, Trae Young, Morant and Zion Williamson, the strength and fame is a notch lower. But there was a special player in this year's draft, he was thin and athletic, but he was three points and had a good view of the big picture on the court, and he was Halliburton.
Harry Burton, from Iowa State University, averaged 15.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game in his sophomore season, shooting 50.4% from the field and 41.9% from three-point range, making him the best conductor and three-point shooter of the class of 2020.
But the height of 1.96 meters, the arm span of 2.03 meters, the weight of 79 kilograms, and the mediocre athleticism made Harry burton fall out of the lottery area until the 12th pick in the first round, and the draft template was "genius high school student" Livingston.
Throughout the rookie season, Halliburton was deeply loved by head coach Walton, in order to develop this rookie, Walton sacrificed some of Hill's ball rights, and Halibalton averaged 13 points, 3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game in 30.1 minutes of playing time, shooting 40.9% from three-point range, excellent big picture view and three-point shooting once let the Kings management see hope of rebuilding.
In the middle of the season, the Kings still had the bottom of the West, early withdrawal from the playoff ticket competition, the criticism of fans and the pressure of management made the King general manager begin to adjust the lineup, in the choice of core players, the fast, aggressive Fox became a non-sale, the team in order to get an all-round center, had to put Haliburton on the shelf.
The Pacers sent Sabonis Jr., Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holliday and a 2027 second-round pick from the Kings to Halburton, Hield and Tristan Thompson.
After arriving at the Pacers, in the absence of the team's main controller Brogdon due to injury, Halliburton took over the banner of the offensive organizational end, and although he did not help the team get out of the loss dilemma, his ability to read the game on the court and the timing of the ball were impressive. At present, Halliburton urgently needs to increase the stability of the scoring end, and if it cannot improve in the past two seasons, then it is likely to develop towards a three-point enhanced version of Rondo.
4. Josh Hart (27 years old)
Pelicans Stats: 13.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 50.3% shooting, 32.3% three-point shooting
Trail Blazer stats: 19.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, shooting 50.3% from the field and 37.3% from three-point range
Hart's change in popularity in recent seasons has truly explained to fans the pain of the small ball city, and after leaving the metropolis of Los Angeles and James, Hart has gone from a golden supporting role but has been forgotten, only one summer of 2019.
Unlike talented players such as Durant and Ingram, Hart completed four years of college, helping Villanova University win the NCAA championship in his junior season, averaging 18.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game in his senior season, and was selected to the All-America Team.
In the 2017 draft, Hart was too old (22 years old) to decline in the draft pick until the 30th pick in the first round.
In the two seasons of the Lakers, Hart's role is more of an outside defensive tip, while providing the team with outside firepower, averaging only 7.9+4 per game, which is decent. In the summer of 2019, the Lakers still missed the playoffs after having James, and in order not to waste the peak of old James, role player Hart became a victim of the Lakers' thick eyebrows, and came to the Pelicans with Ingram and Ball.
In the Pelicans' two and a half seasons, Hart had a steady playing time, and the stats improved to the 10+7 level, but the team missed the playoffs for many consecutive seasons, and the change came:
The Pelicans sent Out Josh Hart, Alexander Walker, Satoransky, Silva, 2022 protected first-round picks, 2026 second-round picks and 2027 second-round picks, from the Blazers to McCollum, Nance Jr. and Snell.
After coming to the Blazers, because the team chose to rebuild plus Gallillard injured, Hart became the team's second offensive point (the first youngster Simmons), 1.96 meters tall, weighing nearly 100 kilograms, he had a clear physical advantage in the second position, personal data began to rise rapidly, against the Washington Wizards also scored 44 points with a shooting rate of more than 70%, creating a personal single-game scoring record.
3. Ding Weidi (28 years old)
Wizards stats: 12.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists, shooting 37.6% from the field and 31% from three-point range.
Lone Ranger stats: 17.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, shooting 49.7% from the field and 39.2% from three-point range.
Last summer, Dinwiddie's contract expired, and the old club Nets, under the pressure of luxury taxes, could not provide him with an annual salary of $20 million, so they had to send the player who could organize and attack to the Wizards in a first-and-later-trade manner, signing a new three-year, $62 million contract.
In the first half of the season in Washington, Dinwiddie played a few good games briefly, because the playing style was similar to the core of the team, Bill, causing the "big heart" player to become afraid of his hands and feet on the offensive end, the signature personal singles efficiency decline was very obvious, in the 44 games for the Wizards, the shooting percentage was less than 40%, and the Wizards' record also followed Dinwiddie's state all the way down.
The Wizards' record dropped from the top three in the East at the beginning of the season to the current fourth-to-last in the East, and it took only two months, during which the team played the most eye-catching kuzma, averaging 17.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, sweeping away the decline in the Lakers last season. But the rapid decline in the record allowed wizarding management to make tentative changes before the trade deadline:
The Wizards sent Dinwiddie and Bertans, from the Lone Rangers to Porzingis and a 2022 protected second-round pick.
After coming to the Lone Ranger, Dinwiddie had more time to be arranged by coach Kidd to the position of the sixth man on the team, and Dinwiddie's overall reduction of the pressure on Doncic's offensive organizational end avoided the occurrence of points lost on the bench to the greatest extent.
In the last 15 games, Dinwiddie averaged 18.6 points per game, shooting 49.8% from the field and 41.4% from three-point range, and the Lone Ranger achieved an 11-4 record and rose to fourth place in the West.
2. McCollum (30 years old)
Trail Blazer stats: 20.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 43.6 percent from the field and 38.4 percent from three-point range.
Pelicans Stats: 26.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists, shooting 50.4% from the field and 38.3% from three-point range.
As the league's lowest-key second-in-command, McCollum was selected by the Blazers with the tenth pick in the first round of the 2013 Draft, and as a 1.93-meter-tall shooting guard, he does not have the physical qualities of Jordan or Kobe, and his best offensive weapon is to rely on rhythmic dribbling to find shooting space, and the mid-range jump shot is his signature.
After two seasons on the cold bench for the Blazers, McCollum was reinvented in the 15-16 season, with playing time soaring from 15 minutes to 35 minutes, averaging more than 20 points per game, and the backcourt double gun with Lillard began to show its power. From the time he entered the league to the time he left the team, the Blazers made the playoffs for eight consecutive years, and the best result was the Western Conference Finals, and McCollum's statistics were not bright but efficient.
In the past two seasons, the Blazers have been eliminated in the first round, and the disappointment of the fans, the anger of Lillard and the pressure of management have finally exploded this season. Falling out of the top eight in the West was the trigger for McCollum's departure, and in order to get more future draft picks, the Blazers management eventually reached a deal with the Pelicans.
McCollum, who arrived in New Orleans, seamlessly connected with Willie Green's tactics and the team's core Ingram play, with a non-possession play and consistent offensive efficiency that steadily increased the Pelicans' record. In a recent focus conversation with the Lakers, the Pelicans completed a 23-point reversal, surpassing the Lakers to ninth in the West, throwing all the playoff pressure on the Lakers, who have three top stars.
1. Drummond (28 years old)
76ers stats: 6.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2 assists, shooting 53.8% from the field and 51.2% from the free throws.
Nets stats: 12.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 62.9 percent shooting, 50.7 percent from free throws
As the league's four-time rebounding champion, Drummond reached a buyout deal with the Cavaliers last season and then suffered a career crisis after joining the Lakers as a free agent. On the big stage of Los Angeles, Drummond's poor autonomous offensive ability and defense were infinitely amplified by various media, resulting in only a basic salary from the 76ers after the contract expired.
From the top salary contract to the veteran's base salary, Drummond only used 26 games in the Lakers, and then became a substitute for the "great" Embiid, and the role on the court was similar to the current role of Howard and Jordan Jr., mainly to control the rebounds in the backcourt and protect the penalty area as a "meat shield".
As the Simmons affair intensified, the 76ers management was eager to throw the hot potato out, just when Harden was not having a good time at the Nets, and a deal to change the pattern of the league was born:
The Nets sent Harden and Millsap to get Drummond, Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, unprotected 2022 first-round picks and protected 2027 first-round picks from the 76ers.
After coming to the Nets, Drummond, who is 2.08 meters tall, with an arm span of 2.29 meters and a weight of 127 kilograms, once again showed the style of the rebounding king, and in the 22 minutes of playing time, "Zhuang Shen" could average 3.8 frontcourt rebounds per game, which greatly supplemented the Nets' weak interior line.
At present, the main reason for limiting Drummond's playing time is his defense, he can't change to the outside line, and the sense of internal defense is weak, which may also be the main reason why he was abandoned by the Pistons. Given that he's only paid $2.4 million a year this season and can contribute nearly two double-doubles per game, the Nets are definitely not losing money on this deal.
Finally, of the above seven players who changed teams halfway, whose change surprised you the most?