Today, the Lakers went on the road to challenge the Mavericks, but ultimately lost to a weakened Mavericks team, suffering a big defeat with a final score of 97:118. The Mavericks scored 118 points without Doncic and Irving, which clearly shows that the Lakers contributed another poor defensive performance.
Many fans are dissatisfied with Redick's player selection today because he did not use good players and instead used some ineffective ones. For example, Vincent played 24 minutes today, shooting 0-for-4 with no achievements, unable to defend or score. Many fans wonder why Redick doesn't use Milton, as his three-point shooting ability is something Vincent lacks, and he is a taller player with no worse defensive effect than Vincent.
After joining the Lakers from the Nets, Milton was eager to make a difference, but he was abandoned by Redick after only playing four games, which is really inappropriate. Many fans have always believed that Milton is much stronger than Vincent, and large samples can explain many problems. This season, Milton had a three-point shooting percentage of as high as 39% in the Nets, at least he could make three-pointers when on the court, but Redick overestimated Vincent's defensive capabilities. Although Vincent tries hard defensively, it's just a facade, and the actual effect is very poor, with a height disadvantage that cannot be reversed. Therefore, Redick needs to carefully plan how to use players next. Milton must be guaranteed playing time.
Although Vincent has had a few good performances this season, the overall sample is too poor, and such a player might have been abandoned in other teams. Now with a new replacement like Milton, Redick should resolutely adjust the rotation. In the previous few games, Milton performed well within limited playing time.
Furthermore, the Lakers' defense has truly become a stumbling block to their victories. Especially in terms of defensive communication. They keep changing strategies on defense without adopting a consistent defensive approach, causing frequent communication errors on defense among the players. Redick is fundamentally an offensive coach, and he is not particularly adept at defensive arrangements. Perhaps James will have to act as a defensive coach on the court, verbally reminding his teammates how to position themselves defensively, only then will the Lakers' defensive end not be scattered. However, the Lakers have two fatal defensive weaknesses that cannot be solved, which are Reeves and Knickert's individual defensive abilities, and these were targeted too obviously today.