Earlier today, the Lakers' new move to bring in reinforcements was in the spotlight. When Shams Carania was a guest on a show, he revealed a surprise news - the Lakers' contact with Hawks guard Dejounte Murray. Prior to this, Murray had little contact with the Purple and Gold, so the news undoubtedly attracted a lot of attention from fans.
"I learned that another potential trade player for the Lakers that needs to be watched is Hawks guard Dejounte Murray. Shams's words exploded in the ears of the fans like a bombshell. Murray has shown great value on the court as an excellent guard player, and now the Lakers are expected to bring this player into their team, which will undoubtedly inject new vitality into the team.
Shams also provided some limited information about the prospect and feasibility of Murray joining the Lakers. First, Murray has four years left on his contract (four years plus a year option), which will bring more stability to the future of the Lakers, James, and Bushy Eyebrows. The addition of Murray will undoubtedly increase the depth and strength of the Lakers in the backcourt, providing the team with more options both offensively and defensively. However, the deal must be costly, as the Lakers will need to give up multiple first-round picks and first-round picks, as well as consider what the Hawks want from the rest of the team.
However, for the Lakers, is it worth chasing Murray at such a large cost? What kind of special value does Murray have, and what kind of changes will it bring to the Lakers on paper? This is undoubtedly a question worth pondering. Murray is an all-around guard with excellent ability on both the offensive and defensive ends, and his addition will further enhance the strength and competitiveness of the Lakers. His playmaking and shooting skills will breathe new life into the team's offense, while his defensive ability will help the team be more solid on the defensive line. Notably, Murray's on-court leadership will also bring more stability and confidence to the Lakers.
However, while Murray's arrival has brought infinite possibilities to the Lakers, whether it is worth welcoming him at such a huge price still needs to be weighed in depth. Will the first-round picks and trade chips that the Lakers need to give up affect the team's future development, and whether it is worth giving up other more potential trades in order to get Murray?
To sum up, the Lakers' decision to chase Murray has caused a lot of buzz. Murray is an excellent guard player, and his addition will undoubtedly bring more stability and strength to the Lakers. However, whether the Lakers are worth the price to compete for his arrival, and whether Murray can bring a bigger change to the team on paper, is worth debating. Hopefully, the Lakers will be able to fully think and evaluate these issues before making a decision to make the most informed choice.
The Lakers' predicament this season is really hard to ignore, so let's understand the problems they are facing.
The first problem is that the Lakers' offensive strength is worrisome. Despite their efforts to improve the quality of their offense, the Lakers still rank 24th in the league in offensive efficiency per 100 possessions, and their three-point shooting percentage is at the bottom (third-to-last). In this case, when the game encounters a strong opponent, the Lakers' offense may be in trouble. The team's over-reliance on interior breakout and projection, while outside projection is not solid enough, makes the Lakers' offense difficult to stabilize.
Second, the Lakers also bothered them with differences in their performance on the offensive and defensive ends. Players who excel on the offensive end, such as Russell, Reaves, and Prince, are often targeted defensively, while players who excel on the defensive end, such as Reddish, Hachimura, and Vanderbilt, are less effective offensively. This extreme divergence makes it extremely difficult for the manager to adjust. How to maximize the coordination of the needs of the offensive and defensive ends, and how to make reasonable use of the characteristics of each player, is a problem that the Lakers coaching team needs to solve urgently.
In addition, the aging problem in the Lakers' roster should not be underestimated. The physical condition and competitive level of a group of veteran players led by James and Brother Thick Eyebrows are directly related to whether the Lakers can remain competitive this season. However, as the game progresses, the fitness of these veterans may gradually decline, which will undoubtedly have a negative impact on the Lakers.
Overall, the Lakers' predicament this season has been multifaceted. To solve these problems, in addition to the overall optimization of both offensive and defensive ends, it is also necessary to give full play to the characteristics of the players and overcome the dilemma of an aging squad. Only then will the Lakers be able to get better results in subsequent games.
Third, the Lakers relied too heavily on James' playmaking tandem, and once James left the court, the team's offensive operation quality dropped significantly. Last season, Schroder played an important role on the Lakers' bench, keeping the game steady and keeping his teammates more focused on scoring. However, after the departure of Schroder this season, the Lakers have yet to find a viable replacement. Vincent, who was introduced in a hurry, did not play as well as he wanted, and his actual performance on the field was much weaker than Xiao Hei. Currently, Vincent could be out for a long time due to a knee injury...
From a rational point of view, the predicament facing the Lakers cannot be completely solved by a single trade or partial change. However, if it were to pick one to help the Lakers break the game, there was no doubt that Murray would be the first choice. Although Murray is not a pure scorer, his individual offensive ability and ability to narrow the way through tough opponents in difficult situations are slightly less than the Lakers' rumored LaVine ability. In some games, LaVine is also regarded as a better offensive finisher in the Lakers' active camp. But Murray's all-round quality will help the Lakers even more significantly.
Murray is an excellent playmaker and defensive expert with the ability to control the tempo of the game and get his teammates better integrated into the offense. Not only that, but his defensive prowess is outstanding, which helps to improve the whole team. The addition of Murray balances the Lakers' roster and allows the team to improve on both ends of the floor. Murray isn't an efficient scorer, but his versatility makes the Lakers more consistent in a pinch.
It's worth emphasizing that in the past three years, whether with the Spurs or the Hawks, Murray has been playing a consistent scoring role. Especially in the two seasons of the Hawks, even if Murray handed over the role of No. 1 attacker to Trae Young, his average score still increased steadily (20.4 points), which shows that his scoring ability has increased instead of decreasing.
What's even more noteworthy is that Murray's efficiency in the final game of the game was even better than during his time with the Spurs. During the season, he shot 83.2% from the free-throw line, showing that he has a good command of fouls and free throws. At the same time, this season, his three-point shooting performance has been eye-catching, successfully hitting 38.2% from the field, which is extremely critical for guards.
Earlier on the Spurs, coach Popovich saw Murray as Parker's successor. After hard training and excellent performance, Murray successfully replaced Parker, the former "French sports car", and sat in the main line of the San Antonio Spurs. Especially in the final season of his Spurs career, Murray's assists per game even soared to a staggering 9.2.
However, after moving to the Hawks, due to the team's change in tactics and ball control, Murray's opportunities to lead the team have decreased, but he can still average 5.9 assists per game, which fully demonstrates his outstanding playmaking and offensive talent.
Overall, Murray is undoubtedly an excellent guard with outstanding scoring ability, excellent late efficiency, consistent and competent goals, significant breakthroughs in three-point shooting, and excellent support ability. Such outstanding personal progress makes us look forward to his future career development and hope that he can reap more dazzling honors.
Murray excels offensively, but his defensive prowess is equally impressive. The tall guard at 1.96m tall has shown strong defensive ability since his second season, averaging at least 1.7 steals per game on the court. In his final season with the Spurs, he won the title of steal king in the league with an excellent performance of 2 steals per game. And no matter what kind of confrontation and misplaced singles he faces, Murray can effectively contain the opponent's offense with his excellent defensive skills and strong defensive awareness.
We can see that this kind of defensive strength, as well as stable performance, is undoubtedly what the Lakers team urgently needs at the moment. Although Reaves, the star of the Lakers, has performed outstandingly, there is still room for improvement on the defensive end compared to Murray. The addition of Murray will undoubtedly build a solid barrier for the Lakers' backline and strengthen the defensive strength of the entire team.
Of course, bringing in Murray is also risky, as it remains to be seen how well he will work with James and Davis and whether he will fit into the Lakers' system. However, it is important to know that basketball is a team sport after all, and the chemistry and chemistry between the players is crucial.
To sum up, although there are many uncertainties about the future development, the attraction of bringing in Murray is still huge for the Lakers. Given the team's urgent need to improve its capabilities, the Lakers need to bring in more quality players. Murray's excellent defensive prowess and adaptability make him a top target for the Lakers. Although the road ahead is full of difficulties, the Lakers have enough confidence to meet the challenges.