After winning the championship in 2011, the Lone Rangers team was no longer able to challenge the championship. In 2018, they selected Doncic, a talented player, and the team's goal for the next stage is to launch a challenge to the championship. For two consecutive years, the playoffs alone fell in the first round. But consider Doncic's age and the years the Lone Ranger rebuilds. If the team can get good players and resources, it is still not a dream to impact the championship.
However, after watching today's game, Lone Ranger fans may have to raise some questions about the Lone Ranger management. The Lone Ranger management's ability to see people is really not good. Today, the Lone Ranger has two veterans who will erupt at the same time. Curry Jr. scored 28 points in the game against the Thunder, including 23 points in the first quarter, and hit 6 three-pointers, which felt very good. Barnes and the Kings lost, but Barnes scored another 24 points. A total of 85 points were scored in three games in the regular season, averaging nearly 30 points per game.
Barnes and Curry Jr. are exactly the players the Lone Rangers need most at the moment: shooters. The Lone Ranger's three-point shooting rate in these two seasons is not good, and last season's three-point output efficiency can only be described as the league's medium. So far this season, the Lone Ranger's three-point shooting efficiency is unbearable, averaging only 31.8% of three-point shooting per game, ranking sixth from the bottom of the league. The team squandered a lot of shooting opportunities, especially several shooters on the outside. With the exception of Hardaway Jr. and Bronson, most of the players on the team feel cold at three points, and Doncic's three-point shooting rate since the opening of the game has not even been 25%.
The Curry family's shooting ability is well known, and Curry Jr. currently shoots more than 50% from three-point range. Last season, his three-point shooting percentage was a staggering 45 percent, and few players in the NBA shot a higher three-point percentage than him. Curry Jr. is extremely good at catching and shooting, which is Doncic's favorite type of player - pure shooter.
Doncic is good at breaking through and is even better at passing control organizations. The shooter and his partner can get a very good shot. Curry Jr.'s current shooting ability is different from that of the average shooter, and many of his shots are difficult drift shots, even dry pulling and holding the ball. In the 2020 playoffs, Curry Jr. and the Lone Ranger played very well. Doncic played efficiently under Curry Jr.'s lead. Although the trade of Curry Jr. is to improve the team's defensive strength, at present, no one in the team can make up for Curry Jr.'s three-point offensive firepower. Little Hardaway couldn't do that.
Speaking of Barnes, Who has played for the Lone Ranger and averaged nearly 20 points per game in a single season. That season was Barnes' peak season. The Mavericks later traded Barnes, which was not a good option from the point of view of the outcome. Because Barnes played his career best this year. And he's always been an underrated player.
During his time in the Warriors, Barnes started with fixed-point shooting and defense, and became a very good forward player. After joining the Lone Ranger, Barnes began to focus on honing his offensive ability to hold the ball, especially in the vicinity of the low position. The Lone Ranger now has a problem, and no one but Doncic can step up as the No. 2 offensive point. Some say Porzingis can. But his efficiency was too low, and Porzingis' performance in the playoffs last season was disappointing. The offensive and defensive ends were very soft. If there is a point like Barnes that can digest the ball on his own at this time, the pressure on Doncic will definitely be less.
Barnes is not bad defensively, he is tall and strong against the opposition. During his time with the Warriors, he was good at single-player defense. He can even play as the No. 4 defender against the opponent's interior line. If Barnes stays in the Lone Ranger, it will be a great help and promotion at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends.
Let's take a look at the performance of the Lone Ranger management, take the operation of this year's offseason as an example. The Lone Ranger management has not signed many good players, and at best it is a minor repair. It was wise to renew Doncic's contract, but in terms of reinforcements. Bullock, Sterling Brown and Moses Brown didn't play as they should. Bullock, in particular, was an important three-point shooter for the Knicks last season, scoring four points in both games with the Lone Rangers.
At this stage, the Lone Ranger management has less and less room to maneuver. The team sent out several large contracts, the salary space is limited, and the strength of these players owned by the players is mostly high or low. There are not enough chips to attract. If don't trade good players and Doncic loses patience, can the Lone Rangers still impact the championship? Dear readers, do you think there is something wrong with the thinking of the Lone Ranger management these two seasons? Feel free to leave a comment in the comments section below the article.