Average of 17+5+4! Two-time All-Star, what does the Lakers really lack?

Ayton fills the vacancies for No. 5 when Davis leaves the team, Laravia and Smart fills the vacancies for Finney Smith when they leave the team.

On paper, there are no obvious shortcomings in the Lakers lineup in the new season, but there is still a defensive player who can lead the first and second positions.

First, the proportion was 19.1% in the 22-23 quarters, 17.5% in the 23-24 quarters, and 17.3% in the 24-25 quarters. At least, the pick-and-roll defense method the Lakers face mainly in the past three seasons.

Secondly, although Vanderbilt (the opponent is restricted by 0.86 points/round when the opponent is restricted by 0.86 points/round when the opponent is restricted by 62% of the players) and Vincent (the opponent is restricted by 0.83 points/round when the opponent is restricted by 71% of the players) have good pick-and-roll defense capabilities, the problem is that both of them have hidden dangers of varying degrees of injury. In other words, there is a possibility of taking a turn forever.

Fortunately, Pelinka signed Smart.

1, 21-22 seasons, limit the opponent to 0.84 points/round;

2, 22-23 seasons, limit the opponent to 0.79 points/round. According to the split data, Smart had excellent pick-and-roll defense before the serious injury. The question now is how much the injury affects Smart. From another perspective, half of the Lakers are now Caruso of the Thunder and McDaniels of the Timberwolves - players who perform pick-and-roll tactics, but the effect depends on the actual combat.

If there is still a possibility of solving the problem with the pick-and-roll Lakers, what about the substitute score?

Unlike Spurs' Kelden Johnson, Pacers' Topin, and Knicks' Clarkson, the Lakers' substitute lacks a player who can carry the ball.

24-25 playoffs, a series against the Timberwolves.

The Lakers scored a total of 447 points in the starting lineup and the Timberwolves scored 403 points. The Lakers scored a total of 55 points on the bench and the Timberwolves scored 143 points. In other words, if you have more substitutes, at least the Lakers will not be easily eliminated by their opponents 1:4.

From this perspective, the quality of substitute firepower largely determines the team's trend.

Speaking of this, deporting Reeves to the bench is a good choice. In terms of data, the usage rate of the 24-25 season was 19.1%, and the real shooting rate was 61.6%. Just in terms of real shooting rate, Durant, the top outside, 64.2%, and Butler, the second-tier, 62.6%.

In other words, Reeves' finishing efficiency is at least at All-Star level. Of course, there are factors such as Doncic that attracts defense to "play a clever ball".

However, considering that the new season is basically in the contract year, it is obvious that Reeves is unwilling to play as a substitute - the decline in opportunities brings about the data, which is directly related to the new contract.

When Reeves is unwilling to play as a substitute and the team cannot explore itself, then the only way is to solve it through external transactions and contracts. In fact, Bill and Lillard were both good choices before, but they were eventually signed by the Clippers and the Trail Blazers for different reasons.

At the same time, according to the NBA China official website, Oladipo is in excellent training and is seeking an opportunity to return to the NBA.

What needs to be explained for Oladipo is:

First place, 17-18 and 18-19 seasons were selected into the All-Star twice in a row with their outstanding performance.

Second, he averaged 16.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists in his 504 games so far.

Average 17+5+4 per game. Can Oladipo, who has two-time All-Stars, improve the Lakers' substitute?

I think it can.

Explanation point: Hold on to invest. Just take the 22-23 season as an example.

This season, 109 of the 403 shots came from the breakthrough, with a shooting rate of 50.4%. In comparison, Edwards 52.3% and Halliburton 53.3%. In other words, Oladipo's investment holdings are at the All-Star level.

There is a serious injury that will inevitably lead to a decline in ability including holding investment, but a lean camel is bigger than a horse. I mean, even so, this ability to end the investment is better than that of Kneckett, Vanderbilt and others.

Will Oladipo join the Lakers?

In my opinion, the possibility is still quite large.

First, opportunity. As I said just now, the Lakers lack substitute offensive firepower, especially substitute players who can carry the ball, which is what Oladipo can do. Potentially, being able to fill the team's shortcomings means that opportunities are guaranteed.

Second, exposure. With this alone, even teams such as the Knicks and Warriors cannot match it. It is true that super high exposure is a double-edged sword, but the problem is that if you play a positive role (good performance), you will not have to worry about subsequent contracts.

From the perspective of Oladipo, why do you want to return to the NBA? In addition to proving himself, he also wants to get a big contract - based on Oladipo's 10-year football age, his basic salary starts at $3.6 million per year. If you perform well, you can complete the counterattack from a basic salary to a 10 million annual salary like Monk played for the Lakers in the past. In this case, it is very conducive to achieving the goal by providing stable opportunities and high exposure. Subtext: The Lakers are attractive to Oladipo.

From the Lakers' perspective, considering that it has faded out of the league for a year, it is basically possible to sign Oladipo with a basic salary. Obviously there is no reason not to sign. On the one hand, as I said just now, the former is helpful to the team, and more importantly, everyone who signs for the basic salary is signed.

In summary, the Lakers are still very likely to sign Oladipo, and this is really a lack of whatever is missing. Of course, even if you don’t adapt to the basic salary, you won’t lose money even if you don’t get used to it. You won’t need to be beaten.