On January 26, Beijing time, the Lakers defeated the Bulls with difficulty, and this time, the Lakers also gained a lot of good news. Just like after James and Prince returned to the court, the starting five became more and more stable, and the offensive space was also greatly blessed. The James, Reaves and Russell scored 96 points, which was also the first time since the new season that the starting four had scored such a gorgeous result. And 20 of 31 three-pointers are the reason why the Lakers have been controlling the pace of the game, and this is also the second time that the Lakers have scored 20 three-pointers in a single game this season. Moreover, both Russell and Reaves are surrounded by trade rumors, but they are still very strong on the court, which is also respected by everyone. With a five-year salary of 52.7 million and playing for the Lakers, Pelinka made the right choice, and you were recognized by James.
It's clear that the Lakers are on track and see the future. However, the biggest surprise for the Lakers recently was not Russell's strong dominance, but Vanderbilt's increased deterrence on the offensive end. On 8 of 11 shots in a single game, when he met the Bulls, Vanderbilt directly scored 17 points and 5 rebounds, and it can be said that Vanderbilt played an offensive and defensive performance. One thing to say, such Vanderbilt is really strange. But then again, compared to the offensive end, Vanderbilt's deterrence on the defensive end has always been very strong, but the most surprising thing is that Vanderbilt's dominance on the offensive end is getting stronger and stronger, especially compared to two weeks ago, Vanderbilt has directly changed dramatically.
But then again, 17 points in a single game is not particularly gorgeous, after all, Vanderbilt once scored 20 points, but there is no doubt that Vanderbilt has indeed been reborn now, especially the skills shown on the offensive end, which are completely different from his former self. In the past, Vanderbilt didn't have many ways to score on the offensive end, nothing more than relying on eating cakes to score, or steals and counterattacks, and other ways couldn't score at all. Naturally, it became a hole on the offensive end, which is also undoubted, and it is also the root cause of Vanderbilt's loss of starting position, after all, in the last playoffs Western Conference series, Vanderbilt became a huge shortcoming on the offensive end, and in the last game, Vanderbilt did not even get playing time.
And the history of the league has long told fans that players who can't prove their value on the offensive end often have great limitations, even if the defensive ability is very good, at least the offensive end must have a certain deterrent, but the former Vanderbilt really can't play any deterrent on the offensive end. If it is played without the ball, the opponent will not care about Vanderbilt at all, and Vanderbilt does not have a three-point shooting percentage, and butter hands are not uncommon when cutting in the air. Even if you break into the inside, you don't dare to face the defender, otherwise you will be stealed. In addition, Vanderbilt also has no confrontation intensity, as long as the opponent plays against it, then Vanderbilt will not be able to score inside. As soon as a teammate passes the ball to Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt will make mistakes and become more and more awkward.
This is the fundamental factor in Vanderbilt's increasingly embarrassing situation, at the beginning of the season, Vanderbilt retired from injury, and fans began to miss Vanderbilt more and more, you know, the Lakers' defensive intensity during this period is very poor, and defensive titans have become crucial. In the midseason, Vanderbilt was even more injured, and only got three points in four consecutive games, but the Lakers played competitive and became the first championship team in the midseason, so no one cared about Vanderbilt's problems. But the reality is often cruel, after the midseason ended, the competitiveness of the Lakers was greatly affected, the defensive intensity was getting lower and lower, the problems on the offensive end were constantly amplified, and Vanderbilt became more and more embarrassing.
In the six games since the end of the midseason, the Lakers have won just once, Vanderbilt has missed one game, and Vanderbilt has scored four points in the remaining five games, three of which have been scoreless. Things have developed to this point, and the reason why Vanderbilt lost his starting position is gradually accepted. In other words, even if Vanderbilt becomes a starter, it will be a pseudo-starter in the hearts of fans at best, and more importantly, Vanderbilt will not be able to play in the closing lineup. But after gradually recognizing the reality, Vanderbilt also began to take the initiative to adjust, as if he had completely figured out his own problems, so he began to rejuvenate. In recent games, Vanderbilt also shot over 54% from three-point range, which was a big surprise.
Although the number of three-point shots is small, at least Vanderbilt can score when he encounters open space. Not only that, Vanderbilt's way of scoring is not to play a counterattack, or even to fall into a positional battle, he can also go down and cut in the air, or shoot three-pointers. What's more, Vanderbilt's butter hands are gone. Even after the confrontation, Vanderbilt's finishing efficiency began to continue to improve, and this transformation must be very important to Vanderbilt. In the course of the interview, James was full of praise for Vanderbilt, believing that Vanderbilt had learned to read defense and had become comfortable on the offensive end. Once Vanderbilt can maintain this form, then the 52.7 million salary extension he gets for a five-year salary extension will definitely become a super cost-effective contract.