"James is almost 40 years old and still has to rely on him to desperately support the team, what's wrong with the Lakers?" Recently, this question has been frequently asked among Lakers fans. The once prestigious team now has a record of 20 wins and 16 losses, ranking sixth in the West, which doesn't seem bad, but placed in the competitive middle of the West, this up-and-down record is really worrying. Especially consecutive losses to the Mavericks and Rockets without their main players, it's really confusing. Where did the Lakers go wrong? Is it because the lineup is too weak, or are the players not performing well?
In fact, at the core of all these problems is Anthony Davis. The Lakers have had many issues this season, but one thing must be acknowledged: James is really trying his best! At the age of 40, he still plays the role of "superman" in every game. Whether it's scoring, organizing, or stepping up in key moments, he almost has to give his all in every game, otherwise this Lakers team might just collapse.
Can you imagine? A nearly 40-year-old veteran still maintains an average score of over 25 points, and has to do everything himself in key moments, from grabbing rebounds to defense and offense. Such performance should be the responsibility of "superstar" Anthony Davis. But due to Davis' low morale, James has to work tirelessly like a "full-time king," much like a retired old man who still has to go home to farm for his family, which is both touching and heart-wrenching.
After all, even as strong as James is, there are physical and age limits. Long-term overloading has already made his body unable to cope. However, the current state of the Lakers means that no one else can withstand the pressure except him. The Lakers' reliance on James is the biggest risk for this team. Because once James goes down, the Lakers are likely to instantly collapse.
If there's anything particularly disappointing for Lakers fans this season, it must be the decline in Davis' form. Do you remember him at the beginning of the season? At that time, Davis averaged 31.3 points, playing brilliantly, and the MVP呼声一度爆棚。During that period, he was invincible on the offensive end and also supported half of the Lakers' defense. The Lakers' record once stably ranked in the top three in the West, making fans full of expectations for this season.
But who would have thought that not long after, his performance was like falling off a cliff. In the last 20 games, he averaged only about 20 points, and on the defensive end, he could hardly maintain even basic concentration. Compared to his performance at the beginning of the season, the gap is simply too great.
What's even more puzzling is that Davis' performance is not just about scoring less, but his overall attitude and state make people feel something is wrong. On the offensive end, he relies too much on his teammates to feed him the ball, and his ability to play one-on-one seems to have disappeared. Defensively, his enthusiasm for switching and protecting the paint is not as good as before. This makes James have to frequently go to help defend, which instead makes Old James consume more, and even frequently exposes defensive vulnerabilities.
Such a Davis makes people start to wonder: What's wrong with him? Is it a physical problem, or is he being negative towards the game?
After all, the Lakers are not a simple problem where "Davis' slump can blame Davis." The lack of depth in the Lakers' lineup is obvious to everyone. The Lakers tried to trade blue-collar centers like Valanciunas, Rob Williams, or Vucevic this year, but the trades failed. And the "hard injury" in the lineup directly caused the team to often fall into an awkward situation in key games.
For example, the Lakers' bench scoring ability ranks second to last in the league. This means that if James and Davis are not on the court, the Lakers can hardly maintain even the basic point difference. And most of the role players in the team are unstable, making the Lakers' tactics throughout the season appear thin and strenuous.
More importantly, the lack of a blue-collar center forces Davis to play the No. 5 position, which he obviously dislikes. Some say, "The Lakers are like a house with only a foundation and no pillars, destined to fall." If management cannot adjust in time, such lineup depth may not last long.
Speaking of this, many people began to question Davis' attitude. Recently, a journalist from Los Angeles even revealed that Davis is exerting pressure on management through negative performances on both ends of the court, aiming to get the team to trade a center so he can play the No. 4 position. In other words, he is "tanking"!
Although such claims lack concrete evidence, combined with the details of the game, there are indeed suspicious aspects. For example, you can often see Davis not actively returning to the paint when facing switches, and even showing a relaxed attitude when defending under the opponent's basket. On the offensive end, his attempts at low-post singles have significantly decreased, as if intentionally reducing his own role.
If these rumors are true, then Davis' behavior is indeed disheartening. As a professional player, the duty is to give your all on the court, not to exert pressure on management in this way. Lakers fans once had high hopes for him, but if he uses this "tanking" method to solve problems, it's not only irresponsible to the team, but also a betrayal of the professional spirit.
In fact, Davis' tanking behavior is not a new phenomenon in the league. In recent years, top players like Kyrie Irving and James Harden have also used negative games to exert pressure on management, and even directly requested trades. And the league basically turns a blind eye to this behavior.
The emergence of this phenomenon actually exposes a problem: the sense of privilege among top-paid players in the league is becoming stronger and stronger. They do have the ability to change the game, but if this ability is used in the wrong place, it not only harms the team but also hurts the hearts of fans. Davis is the core of the Lakers, but if he chooses to use negative performance to gain comfort for himself, can such behavior be accepted?
A bigger question is: what should the Lakers do next? James is nearing retirement, and Davis seems unwilling to take on the responsibility of the future core. The Lakers' management now faces a difficult choice: continue to build the team around Davis, or consider trading him for rebuilding chips?
No matter which choice is made, it is full of risks. If building the team around Davis, management needs to create a lineup that fits his position and style of play. But if Davis' attitude problem is not resolved, the Lakers' future path may become even more difficult.
Will Davis be able to rally, how long can James hold on, and what choices will the Lakers' management make? All of this is related to the future of this team. For the Lakers, this season may not be the end, but they need to find a way out as soon as possible, otherwise, this prestigious team may fall into a deeper crisis.
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