Lakers offseason guide: Must be Sail Ha center and strengthen 3D, and James salary cut becomes the key

The Lakers' 24-25 season ended somewhat "magic". The first round lost to the Timberwolves 1-4. On the day of the game, Doncic and James' expressions were very calm, not as tragic as they were when they were eliminated in previous years - perhaps even they themselves understood that the defeat in this round of series had laid the foreshadowing from the moment "no center".

G5: Gobert's "Slap Night in the Face", the Lakers were "overwhelmed" by their own shortcomings

G5's protagonist is not Edwards, but the Timberwolves' "French Tower" Gobert. He scored 27 points and 24 rebounds in the game, chiseling the Lakers' inside line into a sieve - he grabbed the frontcourt rebounds casually, and the ending at the basket was like no one else. After the game, Mark Williams, who was returned by the Lakers, posted a "meaningful" smile on social media, as if saying, "You guys need me too much."

The Lakers had thought about dealing with it. Redick used five small lineups at the beginning, gave up Hayes, and doubled Edwards and saved three-pointers. But the two "unexpected" completely disrupted the rhythm:

First, the three cores cannot be hit and misaligned.

Doncic took the ball online and used Vanderbilt to cover to find Reed to misplace the position - this should have been his "eating ball", but he was blocked by a three-pointer in the back; Rivers rushed Conley, and after the confrontation, he made a direct mistake. Even Doncic and James couldn't play misplaced, and the Lakers' offense was completely "stuck" - either dribbling to find the rhythm or waiting for large open spaces, all of which were inefficient "difficult balls".

Second, Edwards's double-team is too mature.

The Lakers double-teamed Edwards, but he was like "opening perspective": Conley made a three-pointer after pick-and-roll; the ball was transferred to attract James to defend, and then scored Alexander Walker three-pointer. The Timberwolves punished the Lakers with "more local fights less", but the Lakers' three cores cannot punish the Timberwolves - one rises and the other goes down, and the score difference becomes bigger and bigger.

In the last quarter, as soon as the Lakers saw hope, the Timberwolves used "body suppression" to end their fantasy: McDaniels fought to create a foul, Gobert grabbed the frontcourt rebound and dunk, Randle broke through Rivers and Doncic... After the Lakers contracted the penalty area, Conley made a three-pointer in the bottom corner - the game ended, and the Lakers were eliminated.

The fundamental problem: Without the "chain reaction" of the center, the three nuclear changes to "three exhaustions"

The Lakers' defeat in this round of series is on the surface, Gobert's outbreak and Randle's "counterattack", but at the root, there is no chain reaction of the center.

1. The defense of the three-core "bottom-guard" has become a joke

Doncic and Rivers' defense is average, and the Lakers are counting on "small ball puzzles" such as Bamura and Finney Smith to make a guarantee - but the Timberwolves' body shape advantage is too obvious. Bamura, Finney Smith and the Timberwolves struggled to fight physically, let alone "untied" the three cores on the offensive end. Doncic's pass was limited, and the difficulty of James and Rivers' punishment of misalignment rose sharply, and the core and puzzles were delayed.

2. James' "physical overdrawn" exposed his age

James averaged 5.2 points per game in the last quarter of this round of series, with a shooting percentage of 33% (two points) and 31% (three points) - it's not that he doesn't fight, but his body really can't stand it. The long-term station position 5 is used to make up for defense, which consumes too much; the explosive power declines, and the stability of the jump shot drops sharply. Last season, he was able to "reappear at the peak". After losing the defense this season, his offense was completely "powered off".

3. Redick's "Five Small Gambling Game" Lost

Redick bet that five small can limit Edwards, bet that character players can shoot extraordinaryly - What's the result? The reaction, speed and confrontation of the five young masters were suppressed by the Timberwolves, but instead "feed" the Timberwolves' confidence. It’s not that he is unchanging, but that Hayes is very useful. The remaining “big guys” are even worse, and there are not many places that can change.

Offseason: Pelinka's "repair plan", these 3 things must be done

The Lakers are not completely defeated this season - from "Jack James" to "Donghuang", it has been progressive after half a year of reconstruction to reach the third place in the Western Conference. As long as Doncic is there, there will be hope for the future. But the offseason must be "repaired":

1. Strengthening center: What the Lakers lack most is centers that can protect the frame and pick-and-roll. Pelinka had to exchange contracts such as Vincent (11.5 million) and Kleber (11 million), and even took advantage of the rookie contracts of Reeves and Knector.

2. Complementary wing projection: The Lakers' wings (Bacun, DFS and Van Debiao) are unstable and require "true 3D". He is the kind of player who can shoot and defend, and can immediately relieve Dong Zhan's offensive pressure after making up.

3. James' salary cut: Lifting space is the key. If James reduces his salary (40 million or even 35 million), the Lakers can free up salary space to sign people. He said last year that he was willing to make concessions for strengthening the situation, and to make the final countdown to the fifth championship, salary cuts may be a "must option" for James.

Losed the season, but won the future

Lakers' defeat in this round of series, which is the price of "no center" and the "pain" on the road to reconstruction. Doncic is still here, and James can still play. He makes up for the center and wings in the offseason, and is still a favorite to compete for the championship next season.

Gobert G5's large double 20 and Mark Williams' "smiling face" remind the Lakers: the basic rules of basketball have never changed - height, body shape, and frame protection. These "stupid skills" are always the background for winning.