Injured before playing! He will be re-evaluated in 2 weeks. Despite this, the Lakers are willing to wait for him and give him a chance.

In the second preseason game against the Suns, Smart played 20 minutes without taking a shot and only had 1 assist and 2 steals. Of course, the Lakers signed him more for defense than offense.

Judging from the game, Smart's defense has declined significantly from its peak. We hope this is due to the impact of injuries.

Speaking of the Lakers' defense, I have to mention two points:

1. Finney Smith;

2. Adu Tiero.

After being traded to the Lakers in the 24-25 season, the team won by 7.3 points per 100 possessions when the "Electric Fan" was on the court, second only to Doncic's 8.2 points during the same period. Judging from the data, Finney Smith's importance to the team's offense and defense has reached a core level.

The only drawback is that Finney Smith refused to exercise his player option this summer and left the Lakers to join the Rockets.

As for Adu Tiero.

According to NBA China official website: Tierro’s knee swelling has improved significantly and will be re-evaluated in about 2-3 weeks.

How should we understand this Lakers rookie?

Although he was injured before playing and will be re-evaluated in 2 weeks at the earliest, I think the Lakers are still willing to wait for him and give him a chance.

Picking up

This summer, Pelinka first bought the second round and then raised the pick to No. 36 through two transactions, and then selected Tierro.

It was later revealed that Tierro would have been a first-round pick if it were not for injuries. In fact, due to injury, the rookie not only missed the summer league, but also has not played in the preseason so far. In other words, there are definitely injuries. From the side, it is also believable that the ranking is lowered due to injuries. Picking up leaks, this is one of them.

Features

In terms of size and athletic ability, Tiero is very similar to the Lakers' former Horton Tucker, so he has very good defensive plasticity.

In fact, Tiero's characteristic is the defensive end. To be precise, the defender has the height and weight of a forward and a pair of big hands. Defense is malleable, this is the second one.

Team Current Situation

Smart’s competitive status is still unknown. Vincent and Vanderbilt are also at risk of injuries, and Rui Hachimura, Reeves and others are not good at defense. Therefore, the Lakers at this stage still lack a "big lock" for perimeter defense. Of course, this does not mean that Tierro can fill this point, but at least it is possible with plasticity. The Lakers lack defense at this stage, and this is the third reason.

To sum up, the reason why the Lakers are willing to wait and give Tierro a chance is mainly reflected in three points:

1. It is a missed opportunity;

2. The defense is malleable;

3. The team lacks defense at this stage.

Relatively speaking, I think the second and third points are the main reasons.

First of all, if Smart performs well in the Lakers' debut, especially on the defensive end, it is very likely that he will be reused or even start in the new season, but that is not the problem.

Secondly, Vincent and Vanderbilt effectively overcame injuries. To be precise, the team's defensive system was effectively implemented. The problem is that it is still difficult to see now.

Therefore, Tierro is like a light in the dark night to the Lakers - seeing hope is also worth waiting for and giving a chance.