This season's West has ushered in a big change. Compared with last season, many teams have seen a significant decline. Of course, we must admit that the decline in the team's record is related to many factors. In addition to injuries and compatibility and other familiar reasons, the impact of lineup defects is also crucial. Today's Trailblazers and Jazz are in such a dilemma.
The trailblazer of lineup defect:
The Portland Trail Blazers sent away Harkless and Aminu in the offseason, and the striker strength is great Damaged. Renewed Hood and got Baezmore, trying to get them to carry the team's forward task. However, in terms of size, the two are not enough to hold up the team's striker. Hood is 203cm tall, but 98 kg is too light. Baezmore is only 196cm tall and 91kg weight, which is even worse than Hood's talent. In addition, the Herzonia received from the Knicks does not provide substantial support to the team.
The striker is extremely important in this era, but it has become the biggest weak link of the Blazers lineup. So even if they have the "so-called Big Three" Lillard, McCollum and Whiteside in name, they have not been able to make the top eight in the West at the moment. Even in the lowest period of time, their ranking once fell to the second lowest in the West. There is no doubt that the lack of support from a strong helper in the striker is an important reason for the Blazers' struggle in the early part of the season.
Jazz of lineup defect:
Jazz ranked fifth in the West in the past three seasons, the record performance is very stable. The reason why they lost in the playoffs in successive seasons is obvious, that is, under the strong defensive system, the lack of solid and powerful offense. During the offseason, the management learned from lessons learned and made targeted reinforcements to the team. Jazz sent away Rubio and Favors, ushered in Conley, Bogdanovic, Green and Davis, and strive to balance offense and defense.
However Judging from the current lineup, the Jazz's flaws in the center rotation are exposed. Favors was originally a perfect substitute for Gobert, and the center and power forward were well positioned. Now neither Davis nor Green can fill the vacancy of Favors very well. is especially obvious in the game between Jazz and Lakers. When Gobert came off the field, the problem with the team's center was very obvious, and it caused the weakness of the power forward position, and the entire interior was in a passive situation. The Jazz currently ranks sixth in the West. They have lost too many games when facing strong teams.
Butterfly effect caused by lineup defects:
Trailblazer of butterfly effect:
1. Offensive end.
Toliver is averaging 3.5 points per game, shooting 29.3% from the field and 28.3% from three-pointers;
Herzonia averages 4.8 points per game and shooting The shooting percentage was 36.0% and the three-point shooting percentage was 34.5%;
Baezmore averaged 7.7 points, shooting 35.0%, and three-point shooting 35.5%;
Hood is averaging 11.5 points per game, shooting 50.9% from the field and 49.3% from three-pointers.
It can be seen that Toliver and Herzonia are lackluster on the offensive end, and their scoring output and efficiency are not ideal. The 31-year-old Bazemore still has the strength to fight, but the veteran has never been a scoring efficient player in his career, and his help to the team is very limited. Only the young and vigorous Hood can balance output and efficiency, and he is the player with the strongest firepower in the Blazers striker position. But relying solely on Hood is obviously not enough, the Blazers' striker strength is still a clear gap with other teams.
The lack of frontline firepower and containment power allowed opponents to participate in the backcourt with double guns Lillard and McCollum unscrupulously, which led to their efficiency decline. When Lillard and McCollum passed the ball to an open forward player, they were unable to effectively hit the shot and penalize the opponent's defensive strategy. This vicious cycle on the offensive end continues to spread, which is a great harm to the players' self-confidence. If things go on like this, the Blazers' offensive system will be severely limited, and offense is their magic weapon for survival. The Blazers have a natural disadvantage on the defensive end. If the offensive end cannot open up the situation, the team's record will naturally not be guaranteed.
2. Defensive end.
Hood is 203cm tall and weighs 98 kg. Overall, he is a good defender. The height and flexibility are excellent, and he is a defensive player the team trusts. However, Hood's figure is too thin, and his confrontation ability needs to be improved. He has some difficulty in facing strong opponents. Hood can play a small forward defensive role most of the time, but he is not suitable for defensive power forwards.
Baezmore is 196cm tall and weighs 91 kilograms. He defends well on shooting guards. As a forward swingman, Bazemore was responsible for defending James during the Hawks, and his defensive performance won the team's recognition. However, his height is only 196cm, and he has a natural height and weight disadvantage when defending small forwards and power forwards. He is 31 years old, and his role on the defensive end will only get smaller.
Herzonia is 203cm tall and weighs 99kg. He is also a light defender. In the past four seasons, his defensive ability has been greatly improved, and Stotts also placed high expectations on him. However, like Hood, facing a strong small forward loses weight, facing a power forward, he is underweight and tall.
Toliver is 203cm tall and weighs 109kg. He has great energy on the defensive end. Toliver's strength lies in weight and strength, and he is good at creating physical confrontations for defenders. Toliver's shortcomings are also obvious enough: too short in height, too slow, and too old.
The Blazers' striker group is seriously lacking in talent and ability, which makes it difficult to establish the team's defensive system. Last season, Harkless and Aminu had both height and mobility, and provided great support to the Trail Blazers on the defensive end, allowing Lillard and McCollum to focus on the offensive end. The decline of individual players' defensive ability makes the team's defensive efficiency low.
Lillard and McCollum are already strong and weak. With them as the core of the team, they must be surrounded by players with excellent defensive ability. Now that the Blazers have their doors open at the guard and striker positions, opponents can easily break through the defense. If a team can't open the situation on the offensive end and make frequent mistakes on the defensive end, then loss is inevitable.
Jazz of the Butterfly Effect:
lost Favors, Gobert lacks a reliable substitute at the center position, his average playing time reached a career-high 34.1 minutes. In addition to Gobert, the Jazz center position is mainly shared by Ed Davis and Tony Bradley. However, Davis and Bradley's performance on both ends of the offense and defense has repeatedly put the team into a passive situation.
1. Offensive end.
Davis is 208cm tall and weighs 102 kg. He has averaged 1.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game so far this season, shooting 44.4% from the field and 50.0% from free throws. The 30-year-old should be the peak of a player's career, but Davis's scoring average has created a career low. As an inside player, his shooting percentage and free throw percentage are not good, and he does not have the ability to shoot from mid-to-long range. The Jazz's offense is difficult, and Davis can hardly help the team under this system.
Bradley is 208cm tall and weighs 112 kg. So far this season, he averaged 4.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, shooting 63.0% from the field and 68.8% from the free throw. Compared to Davis, Bradley's shooting percentage and free throw percentage are much better. But Bradley is a pie-eating player, and his personal offensive ability needs to be improved. He is only 21 years old after all, and he may get more performance opportunities in the future.
Davis and Bradley failed to meet the Jazz's expectations, so the head coach had to send a small lineup for some time. Green, O'Neal, and Bogdanovic are placed in unfamiliar positions and it is difficult to maximize their value. Especially for Green and O'Neal, the ability to autonomous offense is not very good, and it is difficult to face higher defenders. The butterfly effect at the center position makes the Jazz's offensive system difficult to maintain. When facing strong teams such as the Lakers and Clippers, their offense is particularly difficult.
2. Defensive end.
The defensive system is solid and golden. It is the most important reason why the Jazz have been among the forefront of the Western Conference in the past few seasons, and the team is proud of it. With the departure of Rubio and Favors, the Jazz's previous mature defensive system was broken, and the team's defense this season no longer makes opponents afraid. The negative impact of Gobert's lack of a reliable substitute is also spreading on the defensive end. Neither Davis nor Bradley can reach the height of Favors.
Davis is only 208cm tall and is more like a power forward. It would be difficult for him to be at the center. With a weight of 102 kg, he suffered a lot from physical confrontation, which also created his weakness for more fouls. In the last game against the Lakers, Davis was scored on the head by the Lakers Davis and Howard again and again, but was helpless. Bradley, as a young and talented center, has insufficient experience and skills, and poor frame protection is also an important reason for limiting his playing time.
When Gobert is sitting off the court and Davis or Bradley is the center, the flaws in the team's power forward position are exposed. Green, O'Neal, and Bogdanovic are players in the positions of shooting guard and small forward and have to be pushed to the position of power forward. However, neither the experience in the power forward position nor the height and weight can meet the requirements of the game and the opponent's strategy. At this point, the Jazz's inside line is completely passive, and the defensive end is either being targeted strongly or neglecting the other.
The Blazers gradually found a way to crack, and the Jazz are still struggling to find a way. Strong. On November 20, the team signed veteran Anthony in order to get more support on the offensive end. Anthony, who is eager to return to the game, has fulfilled his mission and brought great help to the Blazers at both ends of the offense and defense. So far, Anthony has played in 8 games, averaging 16.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, shooting 44.8% from the field and 38.7% from three-pointers. Anthony's scoring average is second only to Lillard and McCollum, ranking third in the team. On the criticized defensive end, Anthony was also conscientious and performed extremely well. With the help of Anthony, the Blazers have risen to ninth in the Western Conference rankings, getting closer and closer to the top eight in the Western Conference.
The Blazers gradually found a way to break the predicament, and the Jazz are still in the quagmire. There is no center or power forward player for the team to choose from. The Jazz can only hope for their own improvement. On the offensive end, they expect the team's starting point guard Conley to regain confidence, play efficient personal performance, and connect the team well. Only when Conley opens the situation can the pressure on the inside line be relieved and can get more scoring opportunities. On the defensive end, Gobert should play more inside the gateThe role of. Young Bradley should grow up quickly, which is a good opportunity for his career. The team's weakness in the power forward position can be double-teamed with flexible defense to minimize the negative impact caused by this.
The season is still very long, and the Blazers and Jazz still have a chance to turn things around.
