20+5+6! The third core, the big surprise behind the dual core?

In February this year, the Los Angeles Lakers decided to make an explosive transaction and sent out the inside gate Davis in exchange for the Mavericks star Doncic.

It was also the beginning of this moment that the Lakers officially announced the next new era; and the team's focus also began to gradually shift from James to Doncic.

But for the Lakers in the new stage, their real background is not just the duo of James and Doncic, but also a figure gradually rising: Austin Rivers.

For Doncic and James, the common advantage of the two is excellent football dealers. Doncic successfully lost weight during the offseason, while James has maintained his body shape for 20 years. The two teamed up for half a season last season, and there were basically no major problems with their dual-core partnerships, and the overall chemical reaction was even unexpectedly smooth.

With these two aces in hand, the Lakers in the new season are naturally worthy of high expectations. But besides this pair of dual cores, Rivers' third core role cannot be ignored.

As the third point of the team, it has both ball-holding and organizational value. It can not only attack with the ball alone, but also be responsible for responding on the outside, and even carry the scoring banner when the team lacks the main force, but also make stable contributions.

Referring to the second half of last season, Doncic just joined the team and missed the game due to injury. During this period, James also rested due to injury, and the Lakers fell into a nuclear-free state. In this situation, Rivers once scored a career-high 45 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals in a single game, and led the Lakers to defeat the Pacers.

It is this game that is basically a symbol of his career, at least it proves that he can not only play with superstars, but also has the value of leading the team independently.

And around the less successful season, Rivers' growth is obvious to all.

When Davis was still on the team in the first half of the season, Rivers averaged more than 20 points per game in January. But since the second half of the season, he has steadily exceeded 20 points per game every month, with a slight increase in shooting and a shooting percentage.

After the whole season, he averaged 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game. All data are career highs, and his playing time has soared to 34.9 minutes. He has basically reached the level of a first-line guard in the league.

More importantly, his playing style is extremely suitable for the new Lakers pattern. As James gets older, the Lakers need to simplify his workload as much as possible and focus on supporting, finishing and assisting defense. The allocation of tactical core should be shared by Doncic and Rivers. In this way, the Lakers' offensive system can be more diversified and the team's upper limit can be raised.

Of course, Rivers' progress does not mean there are no shortcomings.

Last year's playoffs, his performance shrank significantly, averaging 16.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game, and his shooting percentage dropped sharply. With a completely different performance, the Lakers played particularly difficult when facing the Timberwolves, largely because he failed to continue his hot state in the regular season.

The most obvious thing is the ability to commit fouls, which dropped sharply from averaging 5 times in the regular season to 1.4 times in the playoffs, and in the fourth and fifth games of the series, there was not even one time. This also led to a sharp decline in his threat at critical moments, making it difficult for the team to stabilize the situation.

In addition, his defense also needs to be improved. Judging from mobility and positive attitude, Rivers originally had the potential to become a qualified external defender, but due to confrontation and lack of experience, it has become a weak link in the Lakers' defensive system.

Thanks to the joining of new aid Smart, it may become a good medicine. The veteran's defensive skills and game reading ability are the best role models for Rivers to learn in the new season. The key is how much he can absorb from it.