Although a series of bold statements were made during the offseason and the management did make targeted signings, we can find that after the start of the new season, the Los Angeles Lakers started with another three consecutive losses. For such a result, after careful analysis, it is not difficult to find that Lakers is not unfair at all. The start schedule of the Purple and Gold Army was relatively difficult. The Golden State Warriors are the defending champion. The Los Angeles Clippers have a complete lineup and the depth can be said to be the best in the league. Portland Trail Blazers also played a triumphant song.
is relatively optimistic. The Lakers' spiritual attributes and desire to win are indeed much better than last season, so even if the Lakers can't beat it sometimes, they will still try their best to fight the opponent. However, the start of the three-game losing streak still made the Lakers and their fans a little depressed. In the game against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Lakers lost a good game and were beaten to the final victory of the opponent. As the core of the inside line, ", Davis, " , Anthony Davis, , can be said to have tried his best. In the whole game, Anthony Davis scored 22 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and an astonishing 6 blocks, which can be said to have filled the data bar. Moreover, Anthony Davis grabbed 5 frontcourt rebounds and paid the price of 5 fouls. In addition to missing all three-pointers, his overall performance was impeccable.
In fact, as long as you get rid of the injury, Anthony Davis still has the skills of a first-tier superstar in the league. So far this season, he averaged 24.7 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2.3 steals and 2.3 blocks per game. Anthony Davis seems to have regained the year the Lakers won the championship in the 19-20 season, and it can be regarded as a big killer of offense and defense. If you really want to pick on the trick, just like this game, Anthony Davis' three-point shooting percentage is only 20% in the season, but you can't ask him to do more.
Although Anthony Davis performed well and had very beautiful data, he was obviously not suitable for the role of small ball center for a long time. Take this game against Trail Blazers for example. In addition to Anthony Davis, the other four starters are Russell Westbrook , Patrick Beverly , Lonnie Walker plus LeBron James , and three of them are defenders at all. The fatal point of the Lakers' lineup is that the inside defense and rebounding protection are seriously disadvantaged. Relying on the strength of Anthony Davis alone, it cannot stop the opponent's successive impact. After all, the elderly LeBron James is not able to do anything, and the height of the three defenders is obviously not enough. What's more, the Lakers' outside shooting is not accurate, which directly leads to their lack of proposition on both ends of offense and defense, so losing is naturally inevitable.
Perhaps some people would say that Anthony Davis had been the center for a long time in the 19-20 season, especially that year, playoffs was played in the park. The Lakers let Anthony Davis take the No. 5 position of the small ball, which is their signature killing move. But don't forget that the Lakers at that time had Javier McGee and Dwight Howard . Anthony Davis was very good as a small ball center, but he didn't play like this in the whole game. Especially in the regular season, Javier McGee and Dwight Howard were both in the rotation lineup, which gave Anthony Davis more respite.
The situation is completely different now. The Lakers actually let Anthony Davis be the center of the game. In fact, the Lakers have other choices in the inside position. However, the young player , Thomas Bryant, who returned to the Purple and Gold Army this summer, underwent a left thumb ligament tear surgery before the regular season. According to the team doctor's relevant introduction, Thomas Bryant was evaluated in three weeks and the time of his comeback will be determined. In other words, Thomas Bryant will probably not appear until December. Originally, this 25-year-old young player had a great development prospect, but he was seriously injured in 2020 and only played 27 games last season. Even after returning to the Lakers, Thomas Bryant was still damaged by injuries, and his luck was really bad.
And the remaining two inside players seemed embarrassing and useful. Damian Jones played only 6 minutes against the Trail Blazers. Although he performed well and scored 4 points, it was obvious that the Lakers did not think he could get a lot of playing time. As for another young player, Gabriel, except for the first match between Golden State Warriors, he got 8 minutes of playing time after losing the suspense of the victory or defeat in the game. Gabriel had been sitting on the bench in the past two games, and he was probably only considered a water dispenser administrator.
So several insiders were either injured or had relatively average abilities, which made Anthony Davis take more responsibility. In fact, in the past two seasons, Anthony Davis has been attacked by injuries, and many people have criticized him for his glass attributes and physical weakness. But when you think about it carefully, it is precisely because Anthony Davis has suffered too much loss, and the Lakers point at him both offense and defense. Anthony Davis usually has to be a power forward, but once he lacks manpower, he has to frequently take the center position. In the end, Anthony Davis's body could not hold on anymore. Although he performed quite well now, he could not solve the fundamental problem in the end. So if the Lakers are really ready to let Anthony Davis be the center of the small ball, it can be said to be a self-destruction. Regardless of internal potential or subsequent signings, the Lakers really need other inside players to relieve pressure on him.
