Chapter 287 Wang Feng is here to play a power forward?
The somewhat sour Clippers fans sneered at Butler joining the Lakers.
"Isn't it just a trade for Butler? Some people thought they got Durant."
"No way? There are no Lakers fans who really think that with the combination of Wang Feng and Butler, the two All-Stars can beat the Warriors, right?"
"The Warriors' Curry, Durant, Thompson, Green and Cousins were all All-Stars last season. Besides Wang Feng and Butler, who else can the Lakers push out? Rose? He can still play
How many 50+ scoring performances?”
"Ingram? This is the third season of his career. I don't see any tendency for him to develop towards Durant."
After saying a lot, what the Clippers fans want to express is that there is no comparison between the Lakers and the Warriors.
This is indeed the case, but if you look at the entire league... no, even if you look at NBA history, can you find even one team that can compare with the current Warriors in terms of lineup?
The current depth of the Lakers' lineup cannot be matched by any team in the entire league except the Warriors. If any team has a chance to stop the Warriors this season, I am afraid that more than 60% of all fans watching the game will.
If you choose the Lakers, 30% will choose the Rockets, and the remaining 10% will be divided among other teams.
This is enough to prove how strong the Lakers are now.
…
On November 3, the Lakers challenged the Portland Trail Blazers away from home and lost 110:114, ending their winning streak.
Butler, who had just been traded to the Lakers, was unable to play in this game due to rule restrictions.
Fortunately, Butler can play with the team in the next game.
But before that, after the Lakers' lineup changed, they needed to readjust their starting and rotation lineups.
Although Wang Feng actually had plans and ideas in advance, he did not communicate with coach Walton.
After Butler came to the Lakers, he could serve as the starting shooting guard. When he was with the Bulls, he started out as a shooting guard and was no stranger to this position.
Ingram can return to the small forward position he is most familiar with. Although at the shooting guard position, Ingram will have a lot of shooting advantages due to his height, but he has a little trouble defending faster guards.
Tired.
As for Wang Feng...
"Wang, are you sure you want to play the power forward position?"
Wharton was quite hesitant when he heard Wang Feng's suggestion.
In the past few days, he has also had a headache with the Lakers' lineup adjustment, and has also considered whether to let Ingram play inside. After all, Ingram is qualified for the power forward position based on his height.
What he didn't expect was that Wang Feng would take the initiative to ask Ying to serve as a power forward.
In the past, Wang Feng basically played the small forward position, including when he was with the Cavaliers. James also played power forward, making Wang Feng the team's starting small forward.
The reason for this is on the one hand because Wang Feng is not proficient in interior defense and cannot defend the opponent's interior players.
On the other hand, Wang Feng's technical characteristics are also that of a standard outside player, with three-point and mid-to-long-range shooting, supplemented by holding the ball from outside to break through and attack the frame. He does not have the footwork and skills to hold the ball inside and attack.
Although many power forwards now wear the skin of inside players and do the work of outside players, they will still be checked and balanced in various aspects.
Walton doesn't want Wang Feng's efficiency to drop because he serves as a power forward, but Wang Feng is full of confidence.
This season he is no longer the same person he was before.
90 for interior defense, 90 for defensive rebounds, 90 for low post offense, 90 for close range shooting, and 66 for back-to-the-basket fadeaways.
The improvement of these ability values has allowed Wang Feng to make a qualitative leap on both offense and defense in the interior.
Although his current strength in the interior is not as good as that of the league's top interior players, the gap is not particularly large. What's more, not to mention the power forward, even the center has to be pulled to the outside to shoot three-pointers. His outside offense will not be affected by this.
And was affected too much.
"Okay, since you want to give it a try, then try it in the next game. If you don't get used to it, you can change it back."
After thinking for a while, Wharton agreed to Wang Feng's suggestion.
Shooting guard Butler, small forward Ingram, power forward Wang Feng.
As for the positions of point guard and center, there is actually no suspense and no need to worry.
Although Rose played well and shocked many people with his 54-point performance in a single game, Rondo is obviously the player more suitable for the team's starting lineup. The Lakers' starting lineup does not lack scorers, but Rondo's passing and
Rhythm control drives the game.
At the same time, Rondo's defensive ability is obviously better than Rose's, including his three-point shooting ability. Rondo in the 18-19 season is not much worse than Rose.
With Rondo starting, Rose can come off the bench and use his scoring ability to drive the team's bench to score.
As for the starting center, after trying out the previous nine games, Walton found that Lopez is more suitable to be the starter than McGee.
Although Lopez's frame protection and rebounding are far from comparable to McGee, he has mid-range and three-pointers that McGee will never be able to develop in his life.
The current league has completely entered the small ball era, and centers without three-point shooting ability are increasingly unable to keep up with the rhythm of the game.
Not only McGee, but many centers in the league, including Howard, DeAndre Jordan, and Andre Drummond, are also facing the same situation.
When Lopez is on the court, he can pull the opponent's inside players to the outside, making it easier for outside players such as Wang Feng to hit the basket.
Of course, if the team encounters some teams that mainly attack inside players, such as the Pelicans, Nuggets, 76ers, etc., McGee can be used as a defensive weapon against Big Eyebrows, Jokic and others.
…
The Lakers, who have initially finalized their starting lineup, will welcome Butler's debut on November 4.
Home game against the Toronto Rams.
This was not a very difficult game because Kawhi Leonard did not play.
Leonard, who joined the Menglong team, is like an old man who has been raised. He does not play back-to-back games at all, and some away games that are far away completely depend on his mood.
In order to please Leonard, the management of the Menglong team strived to renew his contract next season, and they also wanted Leonard.
Facing the Menglong without Leonard, how could the Lakers, whose lineup was already perfect, lose at home?
Butler made 10 of 16 shots in his Lakers debut and scored 24 points and 5 rebounds. Ingram, who returned to the small forward position, scored 16 points on 7 of 11 shots.
Wang Feng, who started as a power forward, faced Yin Baka's defense and made 15 of 19 shots from the field, scoring 38 points and 10 rebounds with extremely terrifying efficiency.