New season outlook: The Lakers’ hidden dangers come from James?

Lakes last season lost 1-4 to the Timberwolves in the playoffs. As a team that traded historical trades such as Doncic and Davis swaps in the middle of the season, compared with the results, the Lakers did not leave enough impression on the fans in the end. Although

has not been able to get far enough, judging from the team situation, the overall record of the Lakers is still in a progressive trend after trading Doncic.

Especially in terms of the team's offensive efficiency, it has been directly improved to the top three levels in the league, and its regular season ranking also ended with the third in the West. Unfortunately, in the first round of the playoffs, the Timberwolves happened to encounter the lineup system that was restrained, and they were eventually eliminated.

Judging from the Lakers' lineup at that time, the most practical thing was that there was a lack of a stable center player in the interior, which was basically a problem that had been on the table last season; on the other hand, the Timberwolves happened to have three star-level insiders, Gobert, Randall and Reed, which was completely the Timberwolves' longest board, which faced the Lakers' shortest board, and was directly completely restrained.

It is undeniable that from the perspective of the core team, the dual-core combination of Doncic + James is still the Lakers' offensive core. Both of them are core players with extremely high ball quotients, and there is no problem of coexistence on the court. Even in the half season of cooperation, the chemistry of the Dong Zhan combination was quite good, otherwise it would be difficult to lead the team to win the third advantage in the fiercely competitive Western Conference.

From the lineup, the biggest problem of the Lakers last season was mainly the defensive end and inside. After entering the offseason, the Lakers' signings were basically based on these two points to prescribe the right medicine.

Eaton, the top center, is far from the top inside players like Jokic and Davis, considering that there are basically not many other suitable choices in the market this summer, the Lakers signed Aiton with a two-year contract of 16.6 million, which is actually a perfect signing operation.

As a player who entered the league at the same time as Doncic, it is not known how much chemical reaction this combination of No. 1 and Tanhua can have; but one thing to know is that for Ayton, it has come a time when he must prove himself, and he must play hard enough in the new season to have the opportunity to continue his career. In addition, Doncic and James are both experts in organizing the feeding of cakes. As for the supporting role, Ayton should be able to play more comfortable on the offensive end.

is just compared to offense, the most important thing for Ayton in the new season is to do a good job in the interior defense.

As for Doncic, who caused an uproar last season, the main reason why he was abandoned by the Mavericks was that the team was unwilling to provide him with a huge contract. In addition, Doncic's self-control and game defensive attitude, which is also the shortcomings that Doncic has been criticized by fans since entering the league.

Even if you have talent on the offensive end, the basic defense system needs to be maintained. Otherwise, if you score 40 points on the offensive end and give your opponent 30 points on the defensive end, it will also be more worth the loss for the team.

In addition, after James's overall defensive ability has continued to decline after he gets older. Although he can still play a good show of blocking shots at some moments, his overall defensive enthusiasm has indeed decreased a lot. Just last season, we have seen many embarrassing scenes of Doncic and James defending together with their eyes.

Perhaps it is precisely because of the team's defensive shortcomings of the double core team that the Lakers finally chose to sign veteran Smart. As someone who has won the best defensive player among the top team in the defensive system of the Celtics, although their condition has declined significantly in recent years, it can still play a significant role in improving the Lakers' defense.

As far as the above is concerned, although it is not clear how the final running-in effect of the new season is, one thing that can be confirmed is that after targeted signings, the Lakers have significantly improved both in the interior and defensive ends. So, the team's biggest problem returned to the two core members of James and Doncic. Are they really ready to unite and rush forward?

In combination with the news from the offseason reporter, Doncic started his own weight loss plan. It is obvious that this new era star really hopes to achieve some results that prove his performance in the new season. Especially for Alexander, who entered the league in the same draft, has won all the honors, which may have dealt a significant blow to Doncic.

Referring to the performances played in the previous few seasons, we don’t have to worry too much about Doncic. As long as we stay healthy, he will be the top offensive master in the league.

But after Doncic, it cannot be ignored that James is 41 years old. Although his overall performance has not declined significantly, from the perspective of the players, his career has won all the honors he can win, and at the same time he has achieved a historical moment of competing on the same stage with his son Brownie. At this stage, for James, what is important may no longer be a personal honor. Perhaps he is already planning a gorgeous retirement tour, rather than how to lead the Lakers back to the championship stage in the new season. And this is likely to be the biggest hidden danger for the Lakers in the new season.