Ji Mengnian: Although this era is named after space, it is really not possible without a center!

May 1st reported that in the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Timberwolves defeated the Lakers 103-96 away, eliminated their opponents 4-1 with a big score, and advanced to the second round.

Reporter Ji Mengnian of "Sports Weekly" commented on this game after the game:

Although this era is named after space, it is really not possible without a center.

No matter when basketball develops, height is never an advantage that can be replaced. The small lineup is extremely passionate in a short period of time, but it is difficult to maintain high efficiency for a long time. A center with the ability to protect the basket is always the best choice to maintain the lower limit. Otherwise, the defenders and forwards either need super top shooting ability or endless fighting ability. The former will always fluctuate, while the latter is even more difficult to achieve under such a fast offensive and defensive rhythm in today's era.

Even if you are as strong as the universe, the five small players are also a killer move at critical moments in key games, not to mention playing in a small lineup in a season. In a series, the shelf life of the five juniors is very short. If the Lakers don't have a center, the series will be particularly difficult, and their rotation is very short, which has caused the offense to be completely lost in the fourth quarter of the five games.

Fortunately, the Lakers still have bargaining chips, and this year is not the time for them to produce results. This summer, the Lakers' first priority is to deal with a center who has good ability to protect the basket and can play pick-and-roll with Doncic. Compared with the playoffs, the bottom-up role of protecting the basket center in the long regular season is actually more obvious, especially considering that the Lakers' outside defense is not that top-notch, it depends on Pelinka's operations.