LeBron returns to Lakers offense: Why do we still need this old man when we have the Dongli duo?

Without James, the Lakers have 10 wins and 4 losses, ranking among the top four in the Western Conference.

James returned to the first game and defeated the Jazz 140-126.

Fifteen games into the new season, the Lakers' record is satisfactory, but they are actually in a rather strange state.

Except for the Thunder, the Hawks, Warriors, and Trail Blazers they lost were all mid-range teams with around 50% winning rates. Among them, the Hawks were missing most of their main lineup.

Even in the games they won, they fell behind by big margins against teams like the Grizzlies, Jazz and even the Hornets, but they eventually saved the day and escaped death.

Are the current Lakers a championship team? Let’s not jump to conclusions yet.

First take a look at this Lakers team. Is it normal?

The data used in the following analysis are as of November 22.

The Lakers are currently third in the Western Conference and fourth in the league with 11 wins and 4 losses. Compared with the previous Thunder, Nuggets, and Rockets, they all have clear-cut symbols, such as the Thunder's high-pressure defense that is unique in the league, the Nuggets' league-leading Jokic, the Rockets' oppressive death five, and so on.

So what is the Lakers' logo?

Some people say that it is the ferocious offense brought about by the two top-10 scoring attackers Doncic (first with 34.6 points) and Xiao Li (tenth with 28.1 points) on the outside and dual control in the backcourt.

Well, please look at the data below

The Lakers averaged 117.9 points per game (16th in the league) and offensive efficiency of 117.9 (11th in the league), which is only mid-range.

You said that the defense has been strengthened because of the arrival of Ayton and Smart and the absence of James?

Sorry, the Lakers' defense averaged 115.2 points per game (13th in the league), and their defensive efficiency was 115.3 (18th in the league).

Ridiculously behind

Averaged 17.0 assists per game (17th in the league)

Scored 12.7 fast break points (28th in the league)

Running 16.1 miles in the game (30th in the league)

Touched per game 392.9 passes per game (30th in the league)

271.5 passes per game (30th in the league)

21.9 open shots per game (30th in the league)

If you have a basic understanding of the league, you will probably think that this is the data produced by the Wizards and Pelicans at the end.

Anyone who has been exposed to basketball knows that running, sharing the ball, creating space, catching offense and defense transitions, etc. are all basic skills emphasized by coaches.

The Lakers are almost at the bottom of the league in these categories. How can they achieve their current results?

They definitely have their own uniqueness, such as

field goal percentage of 51.1% (first in the league)

two-point field goal percentage of 62.2% (first in the league)

They are also the only team in the league that has over 60% of two-pointers and a total field goal percentage of over 51%.

26.6 points per game on pull-up jumpers (second in the league)

23.3 points on pick-and-rolls (first in the league)

29.1 free throws per game (second in the league)

If you are smart, you should be able to see some clues.

If the game analysis is refined from 5V5 in the whole court to 1V1 or 2V2 in local space, the Lakers will immediately upgrade from a poor offensive team that is not good at overall tactics to the league's leading singles team.

They have Luka and Reaves, two of the league's top offensive initiators, pick-and-roll engines and free throw masters.

Relying on the personal abilities of the two to support the team's offense (dry pull + pick-and-roll initiation) and destroy the opponent's defense (create free throws).

In a previous article, I mentioned Redick's coaching style in the past year and a half:

He is a coach who is very willing to give full autonomy to the core ball-handlers (stars) and relax, while at the same time he is very strict with role players and draws strict lines.

James, Doncic, and this year Reeves have all given them full autonomy with the ball and trusted their personal abilities. However, for role players such as Hachimura, Ayton, and even Knecht and Vanderbilt, he will be almost harsh.

There is a strong emphasis on shot efficiency and offensive certainty. Therefore, the Lakers' total shooting percentage has brought very impressive data and effects due to the super personal abilities of the core group (Doncic + Reeves) and the extremely cautious shots of the role players.

For this model, we are accustomed to asking

What is the cost?

First of all, it relies heavily on the on-the-spot performance of Dong and Li.

In the four games the Lakers lost, Doncic was absent against the Trail Blazers, and Reeves was injured against the Hawks.

In losing to the Thunder and Warriors, both teams relied on their very strong defensive foundations to minimize their offensive influence.

Against the Warriors, teammates other than the two only scored 30 points. Against the Thunder, Dong and Li only scored 32 points in total, and they were almost completely suppressed.

At the same time, in this system, it is easy for other players to develop a serious sense of inertia and dependence.

In fact, Ayton, Smart, Hachimura and even Knect in the current team have good independent offensive capabilities. The revenge on the Trail Blazers on November 4th was a classic game. In that game, Ayton 29+10, Hachimura 28+4, and the team had 29 assists, which proved that they can also dominate the ball in regular season games. However, when Dongli is on the court, most of the ball control is controlled by them.

This season, the Lakers' offensive turnover rate of 15.1% is the lowest in the league, which shows how bad the overall operation ability is.

It can be said that the current upper and lower limits of the team's offensive end are completely determined by Dong and Li..

When encountering an excellent defensive team like the Warriors, which has a tight overall defense and is very familiar with the Lakers, or an excellent defensive team like the Thunder, which has almost a full defense level, once Dongli cannot attack or cannot support the offensive output, the Lakers' offense will immediately become a disaster.

The team's anti-fast break performance this season has improved significantly compared to the last season in the league (from 23rd in the league with an average of 24.5 points per game to 8th in the league with an average of 23.4 points per game)

However, due to the lack of solid high-level first-line protection, the defensive end is still in a semi-open state, causing the defensive line to shrink too sensitively, leaving too many openings on the weak side and the bottom corner.

In the past 15 games, it is known that Keyonte George (Jazz), Bridges (Hornets), Gueye (Hawks), Harks (Heat), etc. have performed their best performances of the season with the Lakers.

After reading the above, you should understand the significance of LeBron's return to this Lakers.

He is indeed old and no longer has the physique of his youth, but his experience and wisdom are still accumulating. Judging from the first game, his touch is still online (2 of 3 three-pointers).

What's more important is that his return not only adds another elite ball-handler on the offensive end to the Lakers, but also adds diversity to the Lakers' system with a tandem style different from Dong Li's.

To put it simply, Lao Zhan is more used to teaming up with his teammates in a dynamic situation, while Dong Li prefers positional warfare most of the time.

Take the first game against the Jazz as an example.

Among the 16 goals made by LeBron (4 shots + 12 assists), 2 were achieved by direct fast breaks, 5 were achieved by semi-offensive and defensive transitions to prevent the opponent from gaining a foothold, and there were only 8 goals that truly broke the situation in positional battles.

Many people have laughed at LeBron for years as he likes to score "stupid points", but in fact this is the scoring method that is most appreciated and respected by coaches in modern basketball and NBA. During his absence, the Lakers' fast break ability has dropped to the third from the bottom in the league.

Of course, this only reflects the significance of LeBron from the offensive level, especially the series attack.

The NBA's historical scoring leader averaged 27.0 points and 7.4 assists per game in his career. If converted into a 36-minute game, he averaged 25.7 points and 7.1 assists per game. Last season, even if he gave way to Deng Mei and Doncic, he still had 24.4 points and 8.2 assists, and he also won the best of the month and the league's second team.

Whether LeBron's return can strengthen the team is a false proposition.

What should really be considered is how much growth can be achieved.