Warriors "inspect" Murray for the Lakers, can he become the real man who saves Los Angeles?

134-112, the Warriors, who had been resting for ten days, beat the Atlanta Hawks at home for the first time in a long time.

It can be regarded as the best comfort for the unfortunate death of assistant coach Milojevic.

But for Lakers fans, the focus of this game is not whether the Warriors can win, but hopes to pass the "inspection" of Dejounte Murray by the old opponent.

After all, if you can't get on the "song list", it's really hard to get along in Los Angeles.

The final result was similar to the recent Hawks game, with Murray scoring a team-high 23 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists on 7-of-19 shooting, but the plus/minus was the lowest of any starter.

The stats look gorgeous and comprehensive, but they can't lead the team to victory.

What's more, there have been many times in the game when the defensive end has been passed by the Warriors and blocked, at least in this game, he does not deserve the attention of the whole league.

Or rather, it's been a long time since we've seen Murray defend with all his heart and soul.

He debuted with the Spurs and entered the second defensive team in the second year of his career, relying on solid and flexible feet and a figure of 1.96 meters to cover the first to third positions, and at the same time he has a quick eye and a good steal (the league steal king in the 21-22 season).

Later, the Spurs rebuilt, and he was selected as the "revival of the third generation" after Ade and DeRozan, and in the 21-22 season, he was able to send out all-around statistics of 21.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 2.0 steals.

Defending the player, developing his offensive potential and playing All-Star numbers, Murray's growth process is very similar to that of Paul George, Leonard, and Jimmy Butler.

But in the past two years of the Eagles, he has not been at ease to be the "Pippen" next to Yang Shaoxia, but the data is still bright when the tactical weight and the number of shots have declined.

Averaging 21.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, rebounds and assists are not as big as he did with the Spurs, but the scoring has set a new career high.

This is because he has really polished his projection in the past two years, and his shooting percentage has increased (46.8% is also a career high), and secondly, Trae Young does have a set of things in terms of increasing teammates as a master of cakes.

But the biggest reason is probably that the Hawks' positioning makes it difficult for Murray to be reluctant to put his passion into defense, and it is no wonder that two Hawks fans on American social media mocked him for "sacrificing his defense in exchange for projection".

And this was also directly sprayed by Murray:

You two idiots are talking nonsense here. You can't touch anyone in this weak league, so who can play real defense? Nobody can get past me because it's a matter of pride! Before you clowns run around and try to be coaches and managers, get the facts!"

But one thing to say, Murray's defense is really disappointing right now.

When defending against the position, opponents shoot 2.7 percent more from the field and 1.9 percent more three-pointers than usual, and are thrown in 1.9 three-pointers per game.

Russell and Reaves, who were scolded by Lakers fans for their defense, have three stats of 2.8%/3.1%/1.9 and 3.3%/-3.0/1.8 this season.

It can only be said that Murray is only slightly better, but it is not much better. Even Reaves' three-point defense was underrated, just too badly beaten by opponents on breakouts and backs.

In today's game, although Murray scored good points on the offensive end, he can be described as sluggish or even ugly defensively.

Not only can his signature assistant defense not support the Hawks' defense, but he is also dizzy by Curry's repeated use of blocking and dismantling when defending in the high post, it can be said that as one of the best young guards in the league who defends the younger generation, today's Murray has not played a central role in defensive concentration and dedication.

Especially in Trae Young's absence, his slackness and slump made the whole team look languishing, and also allowed the Warriors to find a long-lost smooth offense.

Some people will surely say that I don't expect Murray to contribute much on the defensive end, the Lakers brought him in mainly to solve the shortcomings of poor playmaking, and the defensive end as long as he does not become a colander and a target for name.

Well, when it comes to offense, it may also disappoint you, so let's take a "precautionary shot" here.

Murray's breakout ability is too limited to Russell's, but his projection is not at the same level.

For the first time this season, Murray made 2.4 of 6.1 shots from beyond the three-point line and shot 39.0 percent from beyond the arc (he can make more than two three-pointers on 35 percent shooting). And Russell has been on the run for six seasons in a row.

Murray's favorite offensive method is the pull-up jumper, which is also his core advantage on the offensive end of Russell, although his strong solution ability is compared to DeRozan, Booker, Durant and other top mid-range killers, there is a certain gap in production and efficiency, but if he is the third person next to James Mei, it is enough.

This season he shot 118 of 245 shots (48.2 percent) and 34 of 81 three-pointers (42.0 percent), making him the most handy weapon he has ever made.

Today's game against the Warriors, this is also the way he uses the most points.

But in stark contrast to the difficult mid-range shots, Murray, who is 1.96 meters tall and in his prime, is really "barren" in his ability to break through and finish under the basket.

This season, he averaged 14.7 free throws per game in 34.8 minutes, but only 3.0 free throws.

In the peak 21-22 season, he averaged 34.8 minutes per game and only 3.6 free throws.

For comparison, Laker Rivers has made 3.3 free throws in 30.3 minutes of 8.2 times this season, and that's when the referees haven't given as many whistles this year.

Murray's favorite way to break through is to break through and grab the position and reward himself with a mid-range shot, rather than tearing through the opponent's defense to open up space for his teammates.

This brings up a problem:

With Bush getting more accustomed to finishing inside, James Sr. playing more off-ball, and Ham now getting more used to Vanderbilt, his offensive style will further compress the Lakers' space.

Over the past year, although Russell has often been unreliable at critical moments and usually has a little mood, his projection ability in the No. 1 position has really opened up enough space for the team, although he is not good at breaking through, but at least he can create good shooting opportunities for his teammates.

And Murray's arrival is likely to bring the Lakers to the middle area where Willow and Russell hold the ball, and if Murray can't shoot on his own, then the Lakers' offense will also be constipated.

Once upon a time, when we discussed the Murray trade, we thought that his core strength was that he had the experience of being the team's boss and allowing James to rest during the regular season, but now that halfway through the schedule, this part of the benefit is shrinking.

At the same time, in the playoffs, he can be used as a strong point on the defensive end and an auxiliary point on the offensive end, strengthening the Lakers' competitiveness against the position, so as to face Alexander, Edwards, Jamal Murray and other outside strong points.

But with the style of play and efficiency he's been showing so far with the Eagles, that's also a question mark.

At present, his departure from the Eagles is a foregone conclusion. The urgency of the team's rebuilding (the 25-27 first-round picks are in the hands of the Spurs, so only a drop in results will lead to a high pick in this year's draft), as well as his frustration with the current status quo (spraying fans) and the stability of a long-term contract (120 million with four years remaining). All of them have made him a high-quality reinforcement target for many championship-contending teams in the league.

Especially for the Lakers, who are unstable at the No. 1 position, he is a temporary over-the-top candidate, both now and in the future (LeBron retires or leaves).

However, Lakers fans should have a clear understanding of him, he is definitely not the savior of the Lakers, and even once a trade is made, whether the chips are Reaves or Russell, there is a certain element of gambling, and there is also the possibility of failure.