Rush to No. 2 in the Western Conference! James, who has an annual salary of 52.63 million, has not yet come back. How did the Lakers do it?

The Lakers narrowly defeated the Spurs 118-116, bringing their record to 7 wins and 2 losses, second only to the defending champion Thunder (8 wins and 1 loss), and ranking second in the Western Conference.

The current record of the Lakers has exceeded everyone's expectations. After all, James, who has an annual salary of 52.63 million, has not played a game. Vincent, who has an annual salary of 11.5 million, has missed 6 consecutive games due to ankle injuries. Doncic has missed 4 games and Reeves has missed 2 games. Since the beginning of the season, only Rui Hachimura, Laravia, and Van Der Biao have been at full attendance. The performance of this remnant Lakers team since the beginning of the season is impressive.

Short of a major general, with three cores and sometimes even one core leading the team, they can still reach second place in the Western Conference. How did this Lakers without Zhan do it?

The thin version of Doncic evolved offensively and defensively, Reeves played a core performance, and the dual ball handlers ensured the Lakers' basic set.

Doncic lost weight during the offseason, and the results are obvious in the new season: averaging 40 points, 11 rebounds, and 9.2 assists per game, scoring like water, and entering the best form of his career so far.

Doncic’s biggest change on the offensive end after losing weight is in the mid-range. His two-point shooting rate from 10-16 feet this season is as high as 77.8%, and his average mid-range shots accounted for 18.2% per game, which is also a career high. Compared with the previous pure magic ball style of playing under the basket + three-pointers, Doncic is now more dominant in the mid-range whether facing the basket or behind the back.

Today's Doncic has truly become a nightmare for defenders. Improving his mid-range singles ability has made his style of play more old-school and more comprehensive. Scoring is like eating and drinking, and he has entered a new realm.

Doncic's defense and game attitude have also improved. He has averaged 2.0 steals per game so far this season. He contributed 5 steals and 2 blocks against the Spurs in this campaign. After losing weight, he is more flexible and lighter, and he invests more in the defensive end. The most surprising thing about him since the beginning of the season is that he has reduced his hands and complained about the referee. He smiles instead when he is fouled. He has truly developed a leadership style, can control defense from a God's perspective, and truly enjoys the game.

Reeves has averaged 31.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game so far this season. If his name is hidden, it is equivalent to having another James/Doncic-level player on the offensive end of the Lakers.

A ball-handling core who averages close to 30 points and 10 assists per game is the secret that allows the Lakers to survive when James and Doncic are both absent. And Reeves only received a salary of 13.94 million this season. As long as he has enough ball rights, Reeves can produce data at the level of the first and second boss.

The Lakers lineup has three ball-carrying cores. If one person can play, he will be able to fight. Doncic and Reeves ensure the basics of this Lakers without Zhan.

The three new players, Ayton, Smart, and Laravia, performed well and integrated seamlessly. The Lakers management can give full marks to their recruitment work during the offseason.

The No. 1 pick, Ayton, has regained a new lease of life. Since the beginning of the season, he has averaged 17.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. His field goal percentage is 65.7%, a career high. Among interior players, he ranks fifth in the league only after Kalkbrenner (82.9%), Gobert (74.4%), Cota (71.4%), and Antetokounmpo (67.7%).

Ayton scored 17 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block against the Timberwolves, 29 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks against the Trail Blazers, and 22 points and 10 rebounds against the Spurs. He was not afraid of Gobert and Wenban Yama. His strong performance was enough to convince the Lakers management that this is the "dream forward" they are looking for at the center position - he only received 8.1 million this season, which is very cost-effective.

Smart's defensive pressure remains the same as before, averaging 1.7 steals per game so far this season. After entering the starting lineup, he can significantly improve the defensive hardness of the Lakers' backcourt. His defensive energy and game attitude injected defensive excitement into the Lakers. One person's defensive enthusiasm can drive the entire team's defense. The Lakers' Desmart truly has a defensive mentor.

Smart can not only defend, but also average 3.4 assists per game and serve as a ball-handling secondary attacker next to Doncic/Reeves, helping the two ball-handling cores break double teams. He proved his worth with defense and passing control. He is still a championship-level backcourt player, and with 11 million in 2 years, the Lakers made a lot of money.

Laravia is the biggest surprise among the new Lakers players. Unlike Ayton and Smart, who have long been famous, Laravia, who was previously less exposed, has gained countless fans with his efficient performance: against the Timberwolves, he scored 27 points on 10-for-11, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 1 steal; against the Heat, 10-for-13 contributions. Contributed 25 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals - averaged 12.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game at the beginning of the season, shooting 55.4% from the field, and 40.6% from the three-point field. He can do a little bit of everything in offense, defense, sudden attack, shooting, and passing. He is an efficient substitute for microwave ovens. 12 million in 2 years is unbelievable!

To sum up, the Lakers' three signings that were originally not optimistic during the offseason have now become an important puzzle for them to reach second place in the Western Conference. Ayton is worth 16.3 million in 2 years, Smart is worth 11 million in 2 years, and Laravia is worth 12 million in 2 years. The signing work of the Lakers management is indeed underestimated.

The Lakers have rushed to second place in the Western Conference. The most terrifying thing is that James has not yet returned. This is of great significance to their evaluation of this season and the future.

The Lakers have a lot of fun this year. Doncic and Reeves have had the best performance of their careers, and the quality of key puzzle pieces has far exceeded expectations. The performances of Ayton, Hayes, Hachimura, Laravia, Smart, Van Der Biao and even Bronny are all eye-catching.

Today's Lakers have a core and puzzle pieces, and the system is relatively mature: inside end points Ayton/Hayes, fixed-point shooters Rui Hachimura/Laravia/Knecht/Vincent, defensive locks Smart and Van Der Biao. The system the Lakers play now is actually the Mavericks system in the Doncic era.

The current lineup has a certain degree of competitiveness without Lao Zhan. It has a ball-holding core, an inside finishing point, a fixed-point shooter, and a ball-holding secondary offense. The logical chain and configuration of the system are complete.. Lao James' offensive and defensive value will make the Lakers, currently second in the Western Conference, even more powerful. If they want to advance to the Western Conference Finals or even the Finals, the Lakers still need Lao James' hard work and court control in addition to Doncic and Reeves.

Lao Zhan's absence during this period also provided reference answers for the Lakers' future team building direction. The second place in the Western Conference is enough to show that this Lakers team built around the dual-core combination of Doncic and Reeves is indeed competitive. Replacing Lao Zhan's 52.63 million contract with younger stars or 2-3 Jigsaw players may be the Lakers' future team building plan.

After all, Doncic is 26 years old, Reeves is 27 years old, Ayton is 27 years old, Hachimura is 27 years old, Laravia is 24 years old, Hayes is 25 years old, and Van Der Biao is 26 years old. James will be 41 years old at the end of December.

The Lakers have reached second place in the Western Conference, and the way forward is actually very clear.

source:vn 7m cn