As the season draws to a close, it's time for the chickens to replay the game for all the fans and friends.
This article will bring an analysis of the Lakers vs Timberwolves game. We'll look at Hamm's better rotation (compared to against the Bulls), the disappearance of the back three in the second half and potential improvements.
Without further ado, let's go straight to the analysis!
For the actual use of strategy changes at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends of this game, the author will not explain too much, and here I will talk a little about the main idea of the Lakers' defense.
The core points are divided into different ways of defending Conley and Edwards:
Facing Edwards, Reeves is in position in the starting lineup, Vanderbilt is in position in rotation; When it comes to the line, he and Gobert's blocking is resolutely pinched or delayed. As a result, thick eyebrows are now high, and the defensive area is expanded.
The aim is to force Edwards to get out of the ball, away from the main offensive area, to consume a lot; And to capture the current flaws in Edwards' ability to accurately pass the far bottom corner when blocking the ball.
This leads to the fact that because Gobert's personal offensive ability is not strong, the defender only needs to use small players to make a slight interference in the downward path; Without allowing it to attack the frame directly, you can dismantle a large number of downward threats. The resulting weak side assistant defender, Edwards' current ability can not be found on the ball.
When defending Conley's blocking, the traditional original opponent was used to grab desperately; The thick eyebrows are in positions that can both interfere with Gobert's next catch and slightly interfere with Conley's throw.
Obviously, the signal from the Lakers is that Conley can play casually, and I try not to lose position and defend the strong sidehand; But Edwards "must die." Moreover, Conley has a better ability to play the ball when encountering a pinch, whether it is down or far bottom corner, and the Lakers' strategy prohibits it from moving other players.
Therefore, the data of the two people in this field is very clear:
Conley scored 25 points and 7 assists on 7-of-11 shooting and did his job very well; Edwards had 11 points and three assists on 4-of-16 shooting, and that's where he can improve in the future.
Let's mainly talk about the Lakers' rotation method, the difference from the previous game, and some flaws:
This is the first personnel rotation of the Lakers, which occurred at 6:30 in the first quarter; James and Reeves came off, Beasley and Brown came on. As a result, the court is thick eyebrows + Beasley + Brown + Vanderbilt + Russell.
There is nothing wrong with this lineup as a whole, which is equivalent to the alignment adjustment on the 2/3 position. In terms of playing style, the starting lineup mainly plays the two-man turn between James and thick eyebrows; Various upper line blocking and crossover in low positions. Centered on two people, it diverges to 2 shooting points and one follow-up point.
But this brings a problem, Reeves' offensive role in the starting lineup is weakened, not only does not have to play a little processing, but also a lot of two points of processing does not have to bear; It also produced an offensive spillover in disguise. Reeves is more like a defensive arrow on the outside. (We'll explain more about that later)
The rotation changed to focus on Russell and Bushy Brow Blocking, with some Beasley's perimeter runs. In fact, the 5-man team on the court at this time is the early starting lineup after James' absence (Reeves is not on the starting version).
Once Beasley enters the rotation, there will be some tactics that are his own.
Look at the picture above, such as this type of blocking duo that adds Beasley to the upper line, and creates opportunities specifically for it through a continuous cover wall with thick eyebrows. Of course, tactics are good tactics, but whether you can throw or not is another matter ...
Overall, the lineup will turn the duo between Russell and Thick Eyebrow through a bull corner on the offensive end, and then pull it to the flank; It can alleviate the offensive environment of the thick eyebrows inside line mentioned in the previous article to a certain extent.
and when you want to find Beasley, or use Beasley's outside threat, you will put the blocking position at the top of the arc; So that some small cooperation between 3 people is carried out. This is why the focus is different in different areas of attack.
From the defensive end, the team's defensive quality in the front court is passable (even if Hachimura replaces Van Debiao, because the Timberwolves have corresponding slow players, the quality can still be guaranteed); The backcourt defense is not strong, but due to the strategy of this field, the pressure of the first-line defense is not great, so it does not expose too many problems (especially the Timberwolves do not use a lot of 1-on-1 strength).
Let's look at the lineup after the thick eyebrows get off the court, for James + Gabe + Beasley + Schroder + Hachimura.
From an offensive point of view, this lineup has two ideas:
The first is Gabriel's high-quality line-up blocking, and ball handlers Schroeder or James use cover to make a breakthrough. The former primarily serves the end of the individual; In the latter, there are many offensive options, which can be sudden.
The second idea is that in the picture above, it is still in Beasley's connection section, and the Lakers will have this kind of bull horn tactics specially arranged for him, James gives a back block, and Beasley bounces three points. Even in the image above, Gabriel becomes the dealer, which provides some ideas on whether to deal the cards with Gabe's horns, James and the shooter play crossover and then roll cut.
This is a possible unlock for James' no-ball form.
So, obviously. In this transition, there are two ball points on the field to reduce the round in which Beasley personally holds the ball. The likely problem is that the lineup's three-point shooting ability is not strong, which explains why there are so many Beasley's exclusive tactics.
Beasley undertook a significant offensive space liberation. However, if this Beasley is a "ghost state", then one can only hope for Gabe's blocking quality, and James' forced development (mid-range); and some hard solutions of Hachimura Base.
So, this is a potential optimization point, so how can it be optimized?
The author personally feels that there are two optimization ideas.
The first idea is simple and crude, adding a player or increasing the playing time of a player without disrupting the overall rotation order. For example, replacing Schroeder with Reeves, there is a 5-point gap between the two by three points, thereby increasing Reeves' time by another 4 minutes (30 minutes in this game); This improves the backfield projection environment.
Or after the return of Bamba, change the lineup to a combination of Gabe + Bamba and put Bamba in the No. 4 position; And put it in more positions that can assist with sweeping, so as to avoid poor selection when facing the 1/5 block. As a result, James can hit both Beasley's horns and Bamba's dodge bullets, and there will be more options.
And the three-point tactic of space between Bamba and James is also a major part of the Lakers' first few games after the big deal.
The second idea is more complicated, how to make the projection ability of each lineup a little more even.
Starters: James + thick eyebrows + Beasley + Russell + Vanderbilt (Reeves' winning, personally prefer to use when there is no outside strong point, or the defensive strategy weakens the outside strong point);
In the first 6 minutes, Russell and James took the lead in replacement, with Reeves and Brown on the lineup (to ensure that there is always a ball holding point on the court), and then Vanderbilt entered the regular time period of rotation and went to the eight village bases;
The first 3 minutes, which is the lineup pictured above. At this time, James and Russell are on again, with James + Gabriel + Hachimura up front, and Russell + Reeves/Schroeder in the back (it depends on whether Reeves is given more time). And the core of this is to put Russell and James in the same articulation segment, greatly enhancing the ball holding point and the fixed shooting point.
This lineup can be maintained until the 7/8th minute of the second quarter, that is, the thick eyebrows are played again. And throughout the process, while keeping James + Russell unchanged, adjust another guard. It could be Beasley, it could be Lonnie Walker, or Schroeder; In other words, after weakening Schroeder's time, he gave his playing time to three defenders to compete together.
If you want to be more detailed, when Beasley + Russell + James, the author recommends Vanderbilt to rotate in advance, and the front court becomes Vanderbiao + Gabriel to ensure that it is strong. Lonnie Walker or Schroeder, if they can guarantee positivity, they can continue to continue the time of the eight village bases.
Of course, for now, Hachimura and Vanderbilt are in pairs, and the two have almost lasted 48 minutes. Then in fact, the elasticity of this pair is usually relatively large. In simple terms, to attack, go to the eight villages; Supplement defense, on Biao.
So, in the case of Russell, the first quarter is 6-3 minutes apart; The second quarter was 7-4 minutes off, maintaining 18 minutes of playing in the first half. And during the period when he and James rested together, it was the framework of Reeves + thick eyebrows + Vanderbilt.
Therefore, the starting point of this second line of thought is after Reeves is taken as the starter; By pairing thick eyebrows and Reeves; James + Russell pair to ensure both the shooting point and the ball holding point.
Let's go back to the game and continue to look at how the Lakers rotate this game.
The picture above happened early in the second quarter, when James + Reeves + Vanderbilt + Gabriel + Schroeder were on the court.
Compared to the previous lineup, the spatial changes of this lineup are not obvious, but there is better reinforcement on the defensive end; Obviously, this is a defensive and offensive pairing. And since there are 3 offensive initiators on the field, the underlying offensive logic should cause mistakes and mistakes for the defense, resulting in a lot of push and fast attacks.
In this way, a more solid defense is achieved with a "pseudo-3 guard effect".
After James left the court, the Lakers became a configuration of Hachimura + Davis + Reeves + Russell + Brown. We won't say much about this, it's basically the switch of corresponding positions, and the offense and defense are balanced, with shooting points and ball holding points.
If the first half was a correction of the bad rotation of the previous game; The Lakers' rotation in the second half became more imaginative, and it was also something interesting about Hamm's presence.
Of course, neither in the first half nor in the second half, the lineup of the back 3 did not appear.
It was 8:30 in the second half and Hamm made his first personnel changes.
Unlike James + Reeves in the first half, replacing Beasley + Brown; At this time, Gabriel replaced Vanderbilt, who was not in trouble with fouls, in advance; As a result, the Lakers became the Gabe + thick-eyed two-tower lineup used before against the Lone Ranger.
It's a good spot substitution adjustment.
At the beginning of the second half, the Timberwolves' overall offensive strategy underwent a huge adjustment, switching to Downs attacking the inside and asking for the ball in the low post, and Gobert rushing for two rebounds to attack the inside. And Vanderbilt at this time in height and size, the disadvantage of Downs was reflected.
Therefore, this substitution is an obvious adjustment of the quality of the reinforced inner line.
In the third quarter 3 minutes, it became thick eyebrows + Hachimura + Reeves + Schroder + James, Gabe and Russell were replaced.
The reason is precisely because of Reid's injury and Gobert's go-off that the Timberwolves have once again become Towns' single interior lineup. As a result, Schroder against McLaughlin, Reeves continued to match + upper line pinch, thick eyebrows to defend Downs, can still maintain a good defensive effect.
That's why, "Ham's rotation corrected the previous game in the first half, and in the second half it was more about the opponent's matching." The Lakers also created two Timberwolves scoring droughts.
Including at 5:28 in the third quarter, the Lakers also adopted a frontcourt combination of thick eyebrows + Vanderbilt + Hachimura Base, which had not been seen before. Russell + Schroeder in the backcourt, although there are some problems with this lineup space, but maintain the size very well; The same as the Timberwolves, who have always been dominated by size, gain an advantage.
At the same time, it's also like we sent a signal to the current Lakers' front court: Thick Brows, James, Gabriel, Vanderbilt, Hachimura, Brown and the absent Bamba. The number of players available is very large; And in the actual effect, the combination of each front court seems to achieve a certain effect.
And if you look at defense alone, Gabriel, Vanderbilt and Thick Eyebrow are 3 strong points; Even from the point of view of effect, Vanderbilt counts 1.5 (single defense + a small number of assistant defense + front court board), thick eyebrows count 2 (exaggerated influence on the inside), and Brown counts 0.5, mainly depending on who to defend.
Then in this case, the Lakers can arbitrarily combine it with players with weak defense; And if Reeves is in the backcourt (the Lakers' main outside arrow at the moment, excluding Vanderbilt), the front court can release a little stronger.
Including the final quarter, the Lakers adopted the lineup of Reeves + Hachimura + Thick Eyebrows + Gabriel + Russell.
Another twin towers on the inside, with a strong defensive lineup from Reeves. We must emphasize again, so far, the lineup of 3 defenders has still not appeared.
It's not that there is a problem with the lineup of 3 guards, the Lakers have had wonderful cases of relying on 3 guards to push back and establish a victory before. However, against the Timberwolves, a team with a large size such as the twin towers + McDaniels, the Lakers chose not to play fast, but to defend.
In other words, at present, in terms of the abundance of personnel, the Lakers can freely mix whether to pile up the front court or the back court.
From the perspective of the pile frontcourt, it has been proven that it can be used the twin towers of thick eyebrows + Gabriel; It is an offensive lineup where James plays 4 + thick eyebrows and 5; Yes, Hachimura can swing 3/4, Gabriel can swing 4/5, James can swing 3/4, Bamba can swing 4/5 (this needs to be verified).
In other words, with 7 players up front and 6 players in addition to Bamba, 3 defenders are enough from a rotation point of view. That's one reason why a back 3 is no longer a necessity. It is also why Beasley's time in the second half was directly eaten by the players in the front.
So, now for the Lakers, the main thing to solve in the rotation is how to balance offense and defense, or how the offensive space can be better. Although there are many players in the front court, the only ones who can throw three-pointers are Brown and Bamba, as well as a small number of James (who does not shoot well) and a small number of Vanderbilt (only the bottom right corner).
Therefore, how to flexibly intersperse Reeves and Russell, as well as activate Beasley, is another key to the lineup.
At the end of the article, the author wants to talk about the Lakers' potential two sets of rotation matches, how to play fast and slow:
Playing fast and playing slow is not absolute.
When facing a large team, the lineup can also be fast, but the premise is whether the interior line can be protected clean with joint defense and system; When facing a small team, the lineup can also be slower, but only if you can reduce mistakes, grind your ground and be ready to retreat. There is no absolute right or wrong, it is nothing more than knowing how to "promote strengths and avoid weaknesses" when using them.
Therefore, we do not indicate a clear opponent here, but provide a general idea.
If requested quickly:
There are 3 basic combinations. There is Russell's 3-guard lineup, Russell + Reeves (playing a defensive strong point) + Schroder/Beasley (personally recommend Schroeder, whose defensive enthusiasm and ability to play the ball point on the counterattack are stronger);
James played 3 with two guards, James + Russell + Reeves; Use a pseudo-3 guard lineup, but because the lineup has many ball points, good backcourt space, and counterattack weapons such as James, it can achieve a fast effect. Then the front court with Gabe + Vanderbilt / thick eyebrows + Hachimura base, can be.
A little less, if you don't play the highest configuration in the backcourt, I personally think that either Schroeder or Beasley can replace anyone in the backfield. But if the replacement is Reeves, then you need to put a double strong point in front, or use a joint defense to protect the box (thick eyebrows are required);
And what if James hits 4?
We need to push back from a better defensive perspective, thick eyebrows + James + Brown + Reeves + Russell, perhaps the strongest offensive configuration that the Lakers can put on at present; And it still meets the configuration of a relative defensive strong point on the outside + a defensive gate on the inside + a defensive strong point in the second-level frontcourt.
For this lineup, in fact, I think it can be used in the closing stage of the last 2 minutes of the first half, for example.
Of course, these are the limit ideas of playing fast, and we all know that with the current configuration of the Lakers, he does not have to play fast; It is only necessary to adjust the rotation time of 2-3 players when the stage is fast.
As for how to play slowly, the author believes that Hamm's rotation in the first and second halves of this court, as well as the author's supplement above, has been said in great detail.
To make a small summary:
For Hamm, it is actually the time to test his coaching ability (on-field level and pre-match set-up level). Because now is clearly the stage of adequate configuration and full personnel, the only drawbacks are one less pitcher and potential injuries. Therefore, how to analyze the opponent before the game, find out the opponent's rotation and playing style; It is very important to decide whether you are playing fast or twin towers in stages.
Ten-man rotation, 6 fronts + 4 backs; Obviously too rich. Of course, whether it can be used well is another matter; The Los Angeles brothers next door could even reach an 11-man rotation, but it was Covington who was eventually DNP.
The combination of personnel is a matter of flexibility, and all kinds of martial arts will be used; If it is not used well, it is "relying on the defense" ...