Duan Ran: This may be the moment when LeBron really starts to believe that he is the third player on the team.

Kyante George missed a three-pointer from the bottom corner. He failed to deliver a true miracle for the home fans.

The Lakers escaped and won the victory in an almost embarrassing manner.

Imagine you are a Lakers fan.

You have watched every round of this game carefully.

You can completely understand why I use this word from the most realistic basketball logic.

Let me sort it out for everyone - 3 minutes and 33 seconds before the end of the game, Luka's pass allowed his teammates to score a three-pointer.

105-94, the Lakers took an 11-point lead.

If the game ends here, I will give this comment - although the process has ups and downs, overall it is relatively easy.

But - the plot that happens in reality is far more exciting than imagined.

Reversal takes less than three minutes.

Rookie Ace Bailey actively applied pressure and completed a steal on Luka.

LeBron and Reeves missed long-range shots one after another.

Under the leadership of Markkanen, the Jazz launched an 11-2 decisive attack wave.

Marca, which only scored 8 points in the first three quarters, scored 12 points in the fourth quarter.

It’s a pity that the Finns are not perfect after all.

With 11.4 seconds before the end, he missed the mid-range shot and the Jazz missed the opportunity to take the lead.

Luka made one of two free throws after being fouled, and the Jazz got the opportunity at the beginning of the article.

ESPN thought after the game that the Lakers won a not-so-beautiful victory.

The well-known reporter Mark Doyles is much more direct -

"An ugly win is far better than a pity loss."

I personally feel that this actually triggers a subtle issue.

What kind of team are the Lakers, currently 12 wins and 4 losses, ranked second in the Western Conference?

To answer this question, everything must be based on the content of the game.

Data shows that after 16 games, the Lakers' offensive efficiency ranks in the upper reaches of the league.

Correspondingly, this team's defensive efficiency ranks in the middle and lower reaches of the league.

So far this season, the Lakers' net efficiency is only +2.7. What is the concept of this number?

Let me do some calculations for everyone - the Pistons, the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference, lost two games. Their net efficiency is +7.1, the highest in the Eastern Conference.

This means that net efficiency and ranking are basically consistent.

The Thunder, the No. 1 player in the Western Conference, only lost one game, and their net efficiency was an astonishing +16.9! The number

+2.7 is the lowest value among the top seven teams in the Western Conference.

What kind of data is the efficiency value?

It can explain a team's offensive and defensive intensity from a more macro perspective.

This offseason, the Lakers introduced Ayton to strengthen the center position.

But - they are still the team with an extremely high ceiling and an extremely low floor.

The strength at both ends of the offense and defense cannot stand scrutiny.

The existence of the three major ball handlers is enough to maintain a relatively good offensive basic set for the Lakers.

What then?

Imagine the following scene - the Lakers encountered a slightly smarter opponent.

happens to know how to bypass the individual abilities of the stars and use team offense and defense to break the game.

The content of this team's game will become very ugly.

The Warriors, Thunder and Hawks have already given samples.

I have no doubt that as the season progresses, there will only be more and more examples.

Let me tell you the truth - in the first round of last year's playoffs, the Lakers were eliminated by the Timberwolves.

The emergence of this result gave me a clearer understanding of the future direction of the Lakers.

They are fully capable of becoming the biggest threat outside the championship group.

But——that might be it.

After this game, Luka said a lot.

Including but not limited to-four days of rest caused him to lose his regular rhythm and game feel.

Most of the shots are short.

Mr. Coach’s speech was much more straightforward than he was - the Lakers are currently the worst shooting team in the league, bar none.

The 26.3% three-point shooting rate in this game is just another example.

The other side of the coin-the Lakers won their 10th victory in the last 12 games.

Since LeBron's comeback, he has sent out a total of 20 assists and only made 3 turnovers.

He still has a subtle control over this team.

Under this premise, we can also vaguely see LeBron's current team positioning.

When Luka is not on the court, he and Reeves support the Lakers' offensive rounds.

When Luka is on the court, he is responsible for support, transition attacks and misplaced attacks.

On the defensive end, he is responsible for providing size and body hardness to reduce physical energy consumption as much as possible.

All this seems to be very harmonious, but it is more difficult and slower than every year before.

Considering that Chris Paul will retire after this season.

Considering that LeBron is 41 years old.

I personally feel that this may be the moment in LeBron's career when he really starts to believe that he is the third player on the team.

The injury information quietly reminds us-Ayton only played 13 minutes in this game and suffered a contusion on his right knee and has not returned since.

What kind of signal will this be?

The Lakers will play at home in the next four games.

Time will give the answer.