On January 4th, Beijing time, the Lakers hosted the Hawks. The game started with Davis scoring two points for the Lakers to take the lead, and then both teams were locked in a tug-of-war, with the scores alternating. At the end of the first quarter, the Lakers led by 3 points; in the second quarter, Trae Young was called for a technical foul, and the Lakers took advantage of this to suddenly increase their efforts. Rookie Knick scored 11 points in a single quarter, James continuously attacked the inside to create damage, and the Hawks relied on Capela's two-point shot to stop the bleeding, trailing the Lakers 57-65 at halftime; after changing sides, the Lakers continued to play steadily, Rivers continued his excellent performance from the previous game, scoring 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists in a single quarter through inside and outside shooting, and the point difference remained in double digits; in the final quarter, the Lakers firmly controlled the initiative on the court, and James continuously scored to seal the game, and the Lakers finally won a decisive victory over the Hawks 119-102 without much effort.
In this game, the Lakers' new recruit Finney-Smith gradually integrated into the game, scoring 8 points and 5 rebounds in 23 minutes with 3 shots and 2 hits, with a plus-minus value of +12.
After the game, Davis talked about his teammate Finney-Smith's performance: "It's obvious that he did very well in shooting tonight, and his defensive performance has always been online. Smith has been learning our system, our defense, our tactics, etc. We don't have much training time, so he often learns on the plane, and he fits in perfectly."
Congratulations to the electric fan for being recognized by Davis, which is the greatest significance of the Lakers trading you. Those who have watched the game know that the electric fan has been very active in several games for the Lakers, pressing up the line, assisting at the baseline, and constantly running on the court. The biggest beneficiary of this is Davis, who does not need to invest a lot of energy in defense, but only needs to stand in the restricted area waiting to disrupt the opponent's shots. In this game, Davis easily got 3 steals and 3 blocks.
With 3 steals and 3 blocks, Davis finally broke the seal and personally named and praised the electric fan after the game.
For now, the electric fan is an upgraded version of Vanderbilt. The Lakers no longer have to worry about Vanderbilt being targeted because of his lack of shooting. In addition, there is also good news about Vanderbilt. According to famous reporter Shams, Vanderbilt had effusion during his rehabilitation process, but recently his recovery has significantly improved. He will be re-evaluated in a week and is expected to return this month.
Although the Lakers no longer need Vanderbilt, if he can return healthy, considering his age and contract, his trade value will inevitably increase, at least he will not become a negative asset for the team. With the electric fan mainly defending positions 3 and 4, Christie can defend positions 1 and 2, and Redick's defensive system has no worries. The Lakers can completely use players like Vanderbilt, Sefino, and Wood, who are not very useful, to go all-in to help Davis find a substitute center.
Of course, there are some variables in the league now. Butler and Fox have also entered the trade market, and the Lakers can also look for opportunities to introduce another All-Star player.