I can't believe it! This critical moment for the Rockets helped the Lakers

After the trade deadline, the Lakers had a 63.3% win rate, better than the Clippers and Bucks, the two favorites to win the championship. In fact, even compared to the Timberwolves (64.5%) and Suns (65.6%), the gap is not large. In other words, if it weren't for the big "hole" dug in the early stage, it would not be impossible for the Lakers to break into the top six in the West.

The Lakers are gradually getting on the right track, and they have to mention Russell except for Zhan Mei.

Explanation point 1: three points. He shot 44.7% from three-point range at 52.2% and averaged 3.8 shots per game. Among them, there are many feats of hitting at least 5 three-pointers in a single game with a three-point rate of no less than 50% against the Bucks, Thunder, Hawks, Mavericks, etc.

In addition, combined with the ability to hold the shot and the efficiency, Russell can be classified as the top shooter in the NBA at this stage.

Explanation point 2: transmission control. Russell converted 6.6 assists per 48.5 passes. Of course, Russell's assists are not as much of a speed as Kings Fox and Thunder Alexander's are about hitting opponents' defenses, but more of a shooting containment like Harden does.

When Russell returned to the NBA star level of the Nets era, the Lakers could be regarded as building the "Big Three". This is very similar to James, Wade, and Bosh during the Heat period, to be precise, the three of them have their own duties. Of course, as mentioned earlier, the Lakers' ranking is still hovering in the NBA playoffs due to their poor early record.

To be more precise, it is basically hopeless to catch up with the Suns, Kings and Mavericks, but instead take turns with the Warriors to seize the 9th place in the West. Originally, I thought this kind of plot was very good, and it can be understood that Zhan Mei took turns to rest against the Wizards, Pistons, and Yellow, so as to accumulate energy for the playoffs.

But the reality is that the Rockets' record has caught up after successive victories over the Spurs, Bulls, and Jazz to usher in a wave of consecutive wins. In other words, it's not impossible for the Lakers to accidentally fall out of the play-in tournament. Therefore, at this critical moment, the Rockets' winning streak is very good for the Lakers.

Reason 1: Rotational rest. Under the pressure of record, the Lakers will not dare to easily rotate core players. Admittedly this increases the risk of injury, but the benefits are also clear – to stay in shape.

Reason 2: Run-in. Reddish has returned from injury, and it has been revealed that Vincent and Vanderbilt will also be back from injury. In this way, under the pressure of the record, it can promote a better run-in between the teams. After all, only with 100% input from the players can there be a better run-in effect.

Reason 3: Rotation. When there is pressure on the record, you can see the level of the players better and more clearly. Based on this, it is possible to prepare for the playoffs. I mean, streamlining the rotation of players – usually, an 8-9 player rotation in the playoffs is enough.

To sum up the above three points, the first thing that people didn't expect was the recent record of the Rockets, of course, from another point of view, this is also good for the Lakers. To a large extent, it can be understood that it helped the Lakers at a critical moment - to build up for the playoffs early.