On April 2, Beijing time, the Lakers played at home against the Pelicans. Brother Thick Brow is sure to make a comeback in this battle, and Anthony is absent due to illness. This game is very critical for the Lakers, and the Pelicans are an important opponent for the Lakers' play-off seat. The Lakers lost to the Pelicans on the road on March 28.
Thick-browed brother has been absent from the game since February 17 due to a sprained right midfoot, and now it is a critical moment to impact the play-off seats, and the Lakers are also fighting for the play-off qualification.
Thick-browed has averaged 23.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.3 blocks this season, shooting 53.7% from the field and 18.2% from three-point range. Thick eyebrow brother this season's three-point level has declined too much, averaging only 0.3 three-pointers per game, and because the shooting rate is too poor, the opponent can completely let thick eyebrow brother shoot three-pointers, because thick eyebrow brother shooting three points is more like hurting the Lakers. In this way, the deterrent power of the thick eyebrow brother is far less than that of the championship season.
Thick-browed averaged 26.1 points per game in 2019-20, averaging 1.2 three-pointers per game. This season, Vogel mainly let the thick eyebrow brother play center, which may affect the thick eyebrow brother's offensive choices to some extent, but also exacerbated the physical confrontation of the thick eyebrow brother and the expansion of the injury risk.
Vogel likes to use small squads this season, and after the return of the thick-browed brother, will he still squeeze Howard's playing time as much as before? Or even deprecating Howard outright? But Howard has been doing well lately, having scored 21 points and 12 rebounds in the last game against the Jazz.
James has to decide before the game whether to play or not. In this game, Wei Shao's play is also a champion, and his form has improved significantly in the past 7 games. Westbrook has been in great form in the last seven games, averaging 22.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 8 assists per game, shooting 52.1% from the field and 39.4% from three-point range. This season, Westbrook averaged 18.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game, shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 29.2 percent from three-point range.
The Lakers may change the starting lineup again, and Wei Shao said: "No matter what the situation, I accept it, no matter who I play with, I will try to do my best." ”
Regarding the recent adjustments, Wei Shao said that he was trying different positions, reading the game and making adjustments: "No matter how the environment changes, I insist on playing with my skills. ”