The NBA regular season is halfway through, and the Western Conference is quite tense. The first-place Thunder is uncontested, with teams behind them unable to catch up. The bottom three teams - the Trail Blazers, Pelicans, and Jazz - are busy tanking. Interestingly, the Pelicans have won six of their last nine games, finally escaping the bottom of the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the middle group of teams lives in turmoil every day, with seven teams clustered within a three-win range from the Clippers to the Warriors. Among these, the Suns have the lowest chance of making the playoffs, with less than a 6% probability. However, the Clippers and Timberwolves are favored, with relatively stable foundations, especially the Clippers, as Leonard gradually enters form, putting the team on track.
However, there is one team that has long been underrated by outsiders, which is the Lakers. According to American media calculations, the Lakers' chances of making the playoffs are only 28%, lower than the Warriors and Kings. In this large group, they are only slightly higher than the Suns and Spurs. The Lakers have a record of 22 wins and 17 losses so far this season, maintaining a win rate of over 55%. However, the team's biggest problem is that it is difficult to discern their direction. Some games that they could easily win end up in crushing defeats! Logically, the Lakers' ranking should not be this poor, even if their defense is weak and their offense relies heavily on James and Davis, with few helpers besides Reeves, and a weak bench. Who is responsible for this issue?
Let's start with LeBron. James has officially turned 40 years old and is averaging 23.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 8.8 assists this season, a feat unmatched in NBA history. Many legendary veterans see their average points drop to single digits after turning 38, let alone maintaining nearly 8 rebounds and 9 assists. There are two more surprising statistics: First, in the three games that Davis missed this season, the Lakers had a record of 2 wins and 1 loss. In these three games, James averaged an impressive 35.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 7.3 assists, with shooting percentages of 63.6% and 63%. Expanding the scope to include games where Davis was absent or left due to injury, the Lakers had a record of 4 wins and 1 loss, with James averaging 31.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 9.6 assists, and a true shooting percentage of 70.4%!
As columnist Reed puts it, this is unimaginable; James can still dominate games like he did over a decade ago! However, James once said something very touching: "Sometimes I have to step up because our best player is not on the court." From winning the championship in the bubble in 2020 to this season, almost five years have passed. Is Davis really the leader of the Lakers? Tactically speaking, Davis was the leader during Vogel's tenure, including when Ham fixed Davis at the five spot and even now with Redick, who still dislikes placing a pure center next to Davis. However, Davis has repeatedly stated since the bubble period that he does not like playing the five spot. Has it been effective despite saying it countless times?
Looking back at the past five years of Davis' helpers at the Lakers, from the initial McGee + Howard to later Drummond + Gasol, then Howard returning to the Lakers + Jordan, and later Thomas Bryant, including Wood and Hayes in the last two seasons, there are two severe problems. The Lakers are not a team with strong shooting ability. If the center occupies space inside, they lose their ability to walk on one leg, directly blocking the breakthroughs of Reeves and James. Moreover, Davis' technical advantage is obvious at the five spot, but at the four spot, he would have to take on more switching and physical play (the retreat strategy at the five spot actually protects Davis). In the last two seasons, Davis has not missed many games, which is enough to illustrate the problem.
Simply put, Davis has been fighting against the Lakers' management and even the entire team, leading to severe internal friction! During his time with the Pelicans, he was the leader of the empty-point group without any upper limit in leading the team. Upon joining the Lakers, he must understand what is right and what will allow the team to go further. If he truly wants to inherit James' legacy and carry the Lakers' banner, it is simple: just give it your all instead of being obsessed with returning to the four spot, which boils down to a lack of responsibility; he has been overestimated. Looking at it from another angle, if Davis were tough enough, he could directly pressure the Lakers: if you don't give me a five spot, I'll request a trade. Does Davis dare? Would he dare to leave the comfort zone of the Lakers? With James as a pillar, tactics revolve around Davis. Where could he go if he really left?
Perhaps Davis is just finding excuses for himself all along. His height and skills are sufficient to unleash his full potential at the five spot, but honestly, he can only fully realize his value at that position. At the four spot, the entire Lakers system would collapse. Isn't the 22nd and 23rd years the best examples? James is still giving his all at 40 years old, which essentially means he has an unambitious successor. Davis is indeed unsuitable to be the leader. Once James retires, the Lakers might directly enter a rebuilding phase, with nothing left for Davis.
