preface
James, who was absent against the Nuggets, returned in the next game against the Lone Ranger, but it still couldn't stop the Lakers' loss. This also allowed the Lakers to slide to 19-23 and once again fall back to the 13th position in the West. Against the Lone Ranger, the Lakers rallied from a double-digit trail, but failed to hold on to the advantage in the final minute of the game. And lost after 2 overtime, in which the Lakers made a lot of unnecessary mistakes.
Of course, the Lakers' collective inaccuracy on the outside is also a big factor. But that doesn't hide the Lakers' defensive approach late in the game. For the Lakers, this game against the Lone Ranger once again allowed head coach Hamm to see the flaws that the team is currently exposed. Lakers News: Deprecated in just 23 minutes, thick-eyed replacement vulnerability exposed! It's time for Hamm to adjust!
The defensive end has an absolute disadvantage, but Hamm is persistent but right in the arms of the opponent, it is time to reflect
For this game, many fans may find that Thomas Bryant, who has been breaking out for some time, seems to have "disappeared". Indeed, Thomas, who scored 11 points + 9 rebounds on 5-of-10 shooting in the first 23 minutes, was waived by Hamm with a team-low plus-minus of -17. It's not because Thomas didn't do well on the offensive end, on the contrary, Thomas's offense is as aggressive as ever.
But against the Lone Ranger, Thomas's offense wasn't enough to compensate for the drawbacks he brought on the defensive end. As in previous games against the Lone Ranger, Hamm constantly used the strategy of wrapping Doncic in the game. But it was precisely when Hamm used this tactic early in the game that the other players of the Lone Ranger, such as Hardaway, Dinwiddie, etc., felt good on the outside, and once Doncic was trapped, he could easily find an empty teammate.
And when Hamm abandoned this tactic, the Lone Ranger's outside touch began to decline again. So that's probably what makes Hamm conflicted in the game. But Hamm insisted on using Thomas in the early stages, and the main tactical point was defensive coverage, but at the same time the team needed to speed up the pace on the offensive end. Obviously, this did not work, and it was this adjustment that was in the hands of Doncic.
Hamm's formation keeps Doncic completely at his own pace, and while Thomas can continue to provide a steady offense, his foot-moving speed makes it difficult to defend the outside. This led to the fact that the Lakers, who lacked defense on the outside, had to pull out some players to wrap up, and Dinwiddie also relied on this time to have an explosive performance. Fortunately, in the end, Hamm changed his mind and brought up Gabriel, who was faster and faster, which gave the Lakers a chance to close the gap.
This is also where Lakers fans really miss thick eyebrows, with the absolute ability to integrate attack and defense, the offensive end has a variety of skill sets in the low post, and the defensive end can cover from the inside to the outside, and this may be where the Lakers decided to try Cousins. In fact, the most regrettable part of this game is that in the final moments of the final quarter, Ham's defensive arrangement on the court was only Schroder defending Doncic. And with a three-point lead, the first thing to defend is the opponent's breakthrough.
This gave Doncic the chance to equalize, and most importantly, they made such mistakes in the first overtime. Therefore, Hamm needs to adjust quickly and use Gabriel and Thomas reasonably before the return of thick eyebrows. However, for the Lakers, the biggest gain during this period is Westbrook's recovery in form. Without Wei Shao, the game could have collapsed in disastrous fashion early on.
Wilson's fast-paced offensive conversion is what Hamm needs, and on the defensive end, Wilson took the initiative to defend Doncic and pushed counterattacks many times. Against Wood, who faced the inside, Wilson scored a team-high 28 points + 7 rebounds + 5 assists, and shot 3 three-pointers from the outside with 50% shooting. Wilson has proven that he can match Doncic's game and slowly regain his prime-based form.
However, the focus of this loss will still be on James's play and the debate related to victory and defeat. The continued slump on the outside, combined with two casual long-range shots in overtime, did get James some complaints. However, James' main thing for the Lakers now is his ability to break through, punishing opponents again and again by storming the paint area. As the return date of the thick eyebrows gets closer, the Lakers need to move the rankings further before then.
epilogue
Of course, this is not to say that Thomas cannot play his own ability in the existing tactical roster, and Thomas will take on important responsibilities against Embiid in the next game between the Lakers and the 76ers. But the flexibility to switch is something that Hamm needs to understand in time, and Nunn has been in very good form lately, and can make a certain contribution in the limited playing time.