Wei Shao and the Clippers, this may be the ultimate test

Since the holiday period, a lot of things have happened this season that have affected the league landscape. Compared with Irving and Durant's westward journey, Wei Shao's signing of the Clippers is really a small operation. The contract of 785,000 US dollars, if this person is not Wei Shao, everyone will not pay so much attention to this level of reinforcement.

5 teams in 5 years, Wei Shao in the later stage of his career, changing the next home of each joining with a very personal style of influence, and looking forward, even a better version of him has never been known for being calm, efficient, and strategic, he has never learned how to play a plug-in that matches the functions of a large system, and everywhere he goes, the system must be required to make specific optimizations to adapt to him. In other words, Weishao is not a plug-and-play puzzle, and if you're going to use it, be prepared to develop a targeted version of Weishao. If you can't think about this clearly, it's better not to sign it.

The two sides had many discussions before the signing, and the Clippers' requirements were clear — they only wanted the part they needed, the so-called "specific roles." Please leave the rest in your memories. How specific the Clippers' requirements for Wilson are will need to be seen in the game after the holidays, and according to current reports, the Clippers have not explicitly committed to the starting position, but it is not enough. In a previous article about the buyout market, my expectations for the Clippers' introduction of Wilson will be more stringent:

Not only can the starting and closing lineup positions not be promised, but Wei Shao must also be prepared to be DNP at any time.

If Lue can't do that, or if Wei Shao is quite critical of it, causing a negative impact on the locker room, then the Clippers' introduction of Wei Shao is tantamount to digging a hole.

For the Clippers, who are already on the beaten track, introducing an unstable X-factor is a risky decision. George may have been the driving force behind the signing, and his collaboration with Wilson in the 18-19 season brought the pinnacle of his career. Compared with the embarrassing positioning of the current guest point guard, how to play is more comfortable, and it is difficult for you to refute the subjective feelings of the parties.

Wei Shao does have a magical passive attribute, and the other main attacker who partners with him will almost certainly become a strong contender for the scoring title. Durant and Harden don't need to talk about it, Beal's 21 years and James' 22 years are the second on the scoring list. Of course, when there is no West, Durant is still Durant, Harden averaged more points per game the year before, Beal was second on the scoring list the year before, and James was still brave the year after. Whether Wei Shao has the skill of adding BUFF or the lead vest for weight training, the two factions with different positions have their own words.

But it doesn't matter.

Of course, the Clippers will not sign Wilson just to please and activate George, the important thing is that counting the NBA championships of the past few years, everyone has a serious point guard, or a playmaker who can play a similar role, and the Clippers are too special to completely abandon similar functionality. They may drum a trail of grass that no one has walked through, but the way to succeed without precedent is always bottomless. Take a point guard, at least in theory, the Clippers have no real blind spot.

In past articles about the Clippers, there are three key issues that one highlighted:

First, the state of the number one main attacker, Brother Kazi, determines whether the entire offensive sequence of the Clippers can be in place. He can't stand, and the puzzle pieces behind will each have to play a role beyond their abilities, and the Clippers will naturally not be able to attack. Now, the distance between Brother Kazi and himself before his big injury is getting closer and closer;

Second, with Zubac/without Zubac, both forms are not ideal, and the Clippers' large and small lineups have their own dead ends, and they may meet opponents who eat both of their forms. This problem was mostly solved by the Plumlee deal, and between the big and the small, the Clippers have a large enough and maneuverable form. Moreover, Plumlee's ability to respond and handle 4-on-3 also provides the Clippers with better off-ball and pinch-breaking options;

Third, the Clippers don't have a real point guard, which makes them more and more troublesome in activating blocking and dismantling threats, fast attacks to find mismatches, low shots, and even breaking the full court press part of the time. These small troubles are not easily noticed in a single round or two, but when you meet some specific opponents, small troubles can accumulate and become big problems.

After the deadline trade, only the last of the three key issues remained, and these tasks that need to be done by point guards, Wei Shao can certainly complete, and it is far better than Highland. Even, Wei Shao can bring some extra content, he steps on Hot Wheels, two wings fly Powell, Mann, behind the following Ka Pepper, which can play a beautiful three-dimensional blitzkrieg. With the cooperation of the Clippers' full shooter lineup, he can contribute lethal bursts and raise the impact of the Clippers. Wei Shao carried the screw that the Clippers wanted for the last opening, and even sent a gust of wind to the giant ship to propel it forward, which was the reason why the Clippers needed him.

Then, the Clippers will find that Wei Shao has erected a sail on the giant ship, and this sail cannot adjust the angle. This is a modern ship propelled by propellers, it can move forward with or without sails, and if it encounters headwinds, this sail will get in the way.

This is a problem that all teams that get Wei Shao must face - enjoy Wei Shao's contribution while suffering the by-products he inevitably brings, and most teams try to solve the side effects of adding Wei Shao's dominant role, and the Thunder, Rockets, and Wizards have all embarked on this routine. For the Lakers who can't do this, the mitigation method is to let Wei Shao replace and treat the symptoms but not the root cause.

The Clippers can only give Wilson less permissions than the Lakers. While the Clippers have a better environment for Wilson — multiple shooters, a player who can turn off the ball, and can cede playmaking roles — we also have higher offensive expectations for the Clippers, aligned with the firepower level of the 20-21 version of the season, and Weishao clearly has some traits that will undermine that version of the Clippers' offense:

Almost everyone in the Clippers is a quality shooter, and the space is full, but Wei Shao will become a space flaw in the five-way lineup, and the opponent may defend him with a center;

When the Clippers fill up space, they can use simple one-on-one, short-distance breakdowns, and outside splits to seek concise and efficient shooting opportunities, thereby reducing unnecessary mistakes and inefficient non-elite mid-range shots, but Wei Shao's style of play will naturally bring these unnecessary content.

In many situations, the Clippers can rely on space + forwards, flanks to solve problems, while Wei Shao provides the icing on the cake, but destroys the simple and efficient beauty of the five outer plays, and may even be a "do more and do more wrong" existence.

Only when the Clippers' overly minimalistic style of play fails do they really need to seek change. The Clippers can't guarantee that they are a team that has full points against different opponents, and in some situations, they will worry that they are 5~10 points away from passing the level, and maybe this time Wilson will be a lifesaver.

You can think of Wei Shao as an "ogre infantry", which has a 50% chance of attacking the wrong enemy, and your advantage is that you have the initiative to use him.

Can the Clippers do it and only play this card at the right opportunity?

For Lu, this could be the ultimate test.

It's also the ultimate test for Wei Shao – and it may well be Wei Shao's last chance to prove his worth for a championship-caliber team. He can't make an elite jump shot overnight, but he has to try his best to suppress the desire to play a superhero, put the "service" consciousness first, and appear next to another pair of superstars in Los Angeles with a closer image to Jarvis. For the most energetic star in NBA history, getting him to reduce the power of his engine is probably a harder thing than letting him play with his life.

There are two sets of data:

25.9% turnover, 49.7% true shooting, 11 assists per 100 rounds, and 2.23 assist-to-loss ratio

27.6% possession rate, 49.6% true field goal percentage, 11.9 assists per 100 turns, and 2.13 assist-to-loss ratio

One is Wall, and the other is Wei Shao.

If Wilson doesn't make any shifts for the Clippers, you can roughly guess the outcome. What we want to see is either a different kind of Wei Shao. Or, it's a non-playing one. Unless, he and Highland have to choose one.