James has not returned yet, Xiao Hei continues to be sidelined due to health and safety protocols, Horton Tucker is also sidelined due to injury, Nongmei also retired after playing in the first quarter, and the Los Angeles Derby became a one-sided contest again. When Lakers and Clippers played against each other in the last 38 times and lost 29 games, the Lakers suffered three kills from the Clippers this season. It can be said that in the current league, the Clippers are already the team with the most experience in playing the Lakers.
Of course, considering that the Lakers are missing so many people, except for and ibaka , the Clippers are all healthy, and it is normal for the Lakers to be knocked down. After the game, Nongmei claimed to be out of the game because of back spasms and could play in the Trail Blazers tomorrow, which is already good news for the Lakers. , but how much success can he play against the Blazers? It's really hard to say. On the one hand, this is because the state of the thick eyebrows has to be adjusted, and the bigger trouble is that the Lakers seem to have abundant inside resources, but there are big problems in matching them.
Last year, the Lakers played against 29 other teams in the league, and the inside line seems to be their advantage; this year, Howard and McKee were released, and Harrell and Xiao Jia were introduced. . However, even if Harrell is a "super six" player , Xiaojia has the championship center and best defensive player foundation; but in the first half of the regular season everyone found that Harrell and Xiaojia did not have last year's Howard. It's easy to use with Mackey, which is why they introduced and .However, how can a "rotten artifact" like Zhuang Shen that can't even be exchanged for a second-round lottery be easy to use?
Among the existing insiders of the Lakers, the little Gasol and the big Morris , who have the ability to shoot outside, are more suitable for the thick eyebrows; but the problem is that since Zhuang Shen came to the Lakers, he has been occupying As a starter, he basically played more than 20 minutes per game, and his playing time generally overlapped with the thick eyebrows. However, Zhuang Shen, who has no projection ability, has a lot of space on the top, which will affect Nongmei's attack in the interior; and Zhuang Shen's athletic ability is not good, there is no way to pick-and-roll and then eat the cake, and the defense of pick-and-roll is too slow. , is very easy to be targeted, so not only does he have limited help to the team on the field, but it is easy to affect the performance of the thick eyebrows.
And the thick eyebrows lasted for 9 minutes. The Lakers gave Zhuang Shen plenty of space to "toss" in the three-second zone; however, from the actual combat point of view, even in the face of Zubac and Cousins , he He didn't hit the opponent either; Zubac was "blooded" on the offensive end, and Zubac dunked on top of him on the defense end. At the opening stage of the third quarter, George's forced shot at 24 seconds was obviously shorter; but during the fall of the ball, Zhuang Shen grabbed it from above the basket, and gave it to the Clippers in vain. Two points; his "undercover" operation not only made the outside world incomprehensible, but also frustrated his teammates who had guarded for 23 seconds on the court.
Although Harrell on the bench scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, he was hammered by Cousins in the first half of the rotation. Another dribble dunk after a steal.
Last year, Howard and McGee worked hard, and the thick eyebrows at least played relatively easy in the regular season; but this year's championship was dismantled, and several new aids did not play very well, which led to the Lakers. Many teams have not played in the interior. Advantage; and because of the existence of two defensive loopholes of Zhuang Shen and Harrell, the Lakers' inside line is also easy to be targeted by the opponent in the game.
When the Lakers lost 7 of the last 9 games and were in a very bad state, the rest of the outside world's confidence in the Lakers' title defense basically came from James; many people believe that when the playoffs starts, he will turn on the "full James" mode . However, James himself said: "It is impossible to recover to 100%. I think that in the following career, my state will never return to 100%." It is difficult to return to 100%, coupled with the loss of the inside advantage, the current regular season record and ranking have well reflected the embarrassing situation of the Lakers. Going to Portland tomorrow and having an "early decisive battle" with the Blazers will feel like a lot of misfortune.
But whether or not the Lakers play in the playoffs, this Lakers team has three major problems that are difficult to solve.
1, three-pointers
James and Xiao Hei are currently sidelined, and the Lakers have been short of offensive players in the last two games; but this problem will no longer be a problem when the playoffs start . When Xiao Hei, James and Nongmei all need to rush to the inside to show damage on the offensive end; Harrell and Zhuang Shen have no baskets on the inside, which means that many teams will choose to shrink inward when playing against the Lakers. There are not many outside opportunities. But among all the teams that entered the championship sequence, the Lakers' three-pointers are the most unreliable. Their perimeter shooting basically shows the rhythm of cats and dogs, and the three-point shooting rate only ranks first in the league. 23, 25th in three-pointers made.
The inside is very crowded and the outside is not allowed. The Lakers' offense will be uncomfortable for most teams.
2. The defensive resources of the front line are a bit thin.
Of course, since James was injured in the Eagles, the Lakers' offense has not been better, but their defensive level has not declined significantly; and with the Lakers' defensive resources, most teams in the West are also vulnerable. You can be right, the only exception is the Clippers. In the three games the Lakers have played against the Clippers this season, George has performed brilliantly. The Lakers' dual-core defense against the Clippers always seems to be a bit careless.
Because of the Lakers' forward lines and wings, other than Zhan and Kuzma, they are either too short or too slow; and Zhan's age is determined, he is at most the last few minutes to guard the opponent's top card. Last year, the Lakers could let healthy thick eyebrows chase the opponent's front line, but they don't have the neat thick eyebrows yet. It might be a bit hard to chase the opponent's front line; and Kuzma's defensive options and defensive abilities are obviously insufficient. It would be hard for the Lakers to meet a player with a strong front in the playoffs.
3, Vogel trusts Zhuang Shen too much, the Lakers have no time to run in.
In fact, through the recent game, everyone can see that Zhuang Shen and the thick eyebrow partner are very poor in compatibility. Zhuang Shen is easy to use; but Vogel still trusts Zhuang Shen, and this trust will probably not be eliminated in a day or two. It's hard to say how long Vogel's patience with Zhuang Shen will last.
The bigger problem is that James was injured in two games after coming back, and he will have to wait for the Knicks game before coming back; and Xiao Hei may not be able to come out in the regular season, which leads to the main force of the Lakers. Lineup, there is basically no time to run in during the regular season.
During the Los Angeles Derby, Clippers owner Ballmer was very comfortable with Erlang's legs crossed next to him. On the other hand, when the camera was shown to the Lakers bench, Zhuang Shen's eyes were blank and full of frustration. And Zhuangshen's expression is the epitome of the Lakers' current situation. James has not returned to normal, and the Lakers are in a state of no master. Considering the current situation of the Lakers, they can increase their state to 50% to 60% at most at the beginning of the playoffs. If the Lakers really fall to seventh, starting from the playoffs, it is possible that bad things will turn into good things. .
It is just based on the current situation of the Lakers, not to mention that they are likely to lose when they encounter the Clippers. When they seem to have little confidence in which team in the West, how much capital is left for the Lakers to defend their title?
