The Lakers get 23+8 stars 4 for 2?

How good is the Nuggets' perimeter defense? Just this season, limiting opponents to over-15 feet shooting 36.3 percent. Looking at the NBA, it is second only to the Pelicans, Rockets, Timberwolves and Celtics.

Of course, Jokic's outside defense is relatively average. Statistically, opponents shooting over 15 feet increased from 33.1 percent to 37.5 percent under Jokic's opposing defense. As a result, when other NBA teams face the Nuggets, they want to keep Jokic out of the interior in order to achieve attrition.

For the Lakers, the James' pick-and-roll meets the Nuggets without a size dislocation advantage against Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Porter Jr. Then the only way to achieve the effect of consuming Jokic is to shoot from mid-to-long range, just like teams such as the Warriors, Thunder, and Suns.

But the problem is that the Lakers don't have as many shooters as teams like the Warriors.

At the same time, 36.2% of the shots from 0-3 feet and 32.7% from 3-10 feet have been made so far this season. 68.9% of the shots came from within the three-second zone, which is a new high in the NBA career.

Too many shots come from the inside, and if you want to ensure offensive efficiency, you need to have enough offensive space. It's like the Bucks "finding" Lopez for Antetokounmpo and the Celtics "finding" Porzingis for Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The Lakers have a stable projection on the outside, and at present, only Russell is available. The problem is that the latter is also very likely to leave this summer.

Based on this, it is no wonder that some media have suggested that the Lakers use Reaves, Hachimura, and the first and second rounds to replace the Jazz's Markkanen and the second round this summer. At first glance, the 4-for-2 deal is a rumor, but it is still very credible.

Illustrative point: three points. In 401 games so far in his NBA career, Markkanen has a 37.4% three-point percentage and an average of 2.5 outside shots per game with 48.6% three-point shooting. In terms of three points alone, Markkanen is completely inferior to big players such as Towns, Horford, Da Lopez, and Pinnacle Love.

In addition, judging from the average of 23+8 per game this season, Markkanen is not only a spatial containment point, but also has a strong impromptu combat power. By the way, Markkanen was an NBA All-Star in the 22-23 season.

To sum up, Markkanen fits the Lakers' needs very well - he has three points and instant power. In fact, as I mentioned earlier, this potential 4-for-2 deal is still very promising.

Reason: Reconstruction. When Gobert switched to the Timberwolves and Mitchell switched to the Cavaliers, the Jazz ushered in a rebuild. For a rebuilding team, it's one thing that almost any player can be traded as long as the chips are right. Second, both Reeves and Hachimura are good for rebuilding with good value for money, and there are draft picks.

When the Lakers get Markkanen, firstly, with a stable outside projection, Jokic can have a depletion effect, and secondly, it can open up space for the thick eyebrows' offense. In other words, the latter is more relaxed in the presence.