Why did James take the initiative to ask for a rest? The Lakers can solve the problem and build a team around Doncic.

The new NBA season is about to begin. At the last moment, the Warriors finally completed a two-year, $46.8 million contract renewal with Kumingga. It is basically certain that Kumingga will be traded by the team after January 15 next year. The Warriors gave Kumingga an extra 15.9 million in the first year contract in exchange for a trade veto, so that it would not be a waste of money. When analyzing the Western Conference pattern in the new season, the US media generally listed the Warriors and the Lakers as playoff teams. The uncertainty factor in the Warriors is whether Kumingga can cooperate with the team with peace of mind in the next few months and not take the initiative to cause trouble or even cause trouble. With the Lakers, the team signed Ayton + Laravia + Smart this summer, which also renewed the contract for Doncic for 3 years and $165 million, completely entering the Doncic era.

And James is in an increasingly awkward situation. In an interview a few days ago, General Manager Pelinka made it clear that he respected any choice of James, but also hoped that James could end his career with the Lakers. Building on the situation where the Lakers are not willing to provide James with any contract extension, it is equivalent to forcing James to retire tomorrow. In the words of US media, in the past season, although the Lakers have reached third in the Western Conference in the regular season and James' data is also very good, it has gradually become a drag on the team. The playoffs were eliminated by the Timberwolves, which is just a concentrated reflection of all the team's problems. During the offseason, James chose to execute the option of a player worth $52.63 million. In the last year of his Lakers' career, this time he chose to cooperate with the Lakers and get together and part.

starts with two messages. First of all, James's official team reporter McMenaming revealed that the message James' team conveyed to the Lakers' management is: in his 23rd season of his career, he should be "extra cautious" and hope to consider it from a long-term perspective. The James team has always thought that James consumed too much last year's preseason and training camp, which caused James to be exhausted in December, including a second-degree sprain of the medial collateral ligament in the playoffs, which were related to his physical energy consumption. Coach Redick confirmed this and said bluntly that the new season will make James choose to prepare slowly! According to Los Angeles media, James is likely to have to play back-to-back, and his playing time is limited to 35 minutes, and his role positioning continues to be diluted.

Jack, who turned 40 last season, played 70 games in the regular season, averaged 35 minutes per game, contributed 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists. Especially before Davis fell due to injury and Doncic came to the Lakers, James' outbreak in January pulled the Lakers straight from the playoffs to fourth in the Western Conference, clearing many obstacles for Doncic to join the team in the future. But in the playoffs, James averaged 40.7 minutes per game, which was really too harsh for a 40-year-old player. The main reason why James was questioned by the media and fans last season was actually high-level data. For example, James' plus or negative values ​​are the lowest among the eight teams in the top four in the East and West, and the only player with a negative value; James is also the only player with a negative value selected for the best team.

includes James' On-Off value in the regular season is as low as -5.2 (the team lost 0.3 points in a hundred rounds, and the team won 4.9 points in a hundred rounds), and the On-Off value in the playoffs is -22.0 (the team lost 11.1 points in a hundred rounds, and the team won 10.9 points in a hundred rounds), but in addition to deliberately ignoring James' age, the key is that he can contribute stable attendance + data. Let’s give an example. If we count over the past six years, is it better to build a team with James as the core, or is it better to build a team with Leonard? The answer is undoubtedly the former, because James has never experienced serious injuries and has led the Lakers to a championship! The outside world is always used to using a magnifying glass to see James' shortcomings, which is essentially a recognition, otherwise it would be impossible to find it.

Judging from the overall trend of media in Los Angeles this summer, James has become old and has reached the stage of being disliked. James has never taken the initiative to ask the Lakers for a contract renewal, but rumors about him are emerging one after another. US media can also unscrupulously say that the Lakers can borrow James' salary space in the next summer to find a new partner for Doncic. It's really not respectful enough, so why should James play pole and force the Lakers to stay? Perhaps James took the initiative to request additional rest, which was a relief to the Lakers' management and coaching staff, and the goal was achieved! You can build a team around Doncic without scrupleing James's feelings. Is James really willing to be forced to retire? At least he doesn't want to continue overdrawing himself next season, and he wants to look farther away!

James himself sighed at the media day: I don’t know when the end is, but I know it is not far from now. It can be confirmed that if James is not as strong as last season next season, Doncic will not be able to enter the top four in the Western Conference, and the Lakers are not very competitive in the playoffs, and the weak inside and the defensive shortcomings of the wings, including the team's shooting, will become hidden dangers. However, from the perspective of James, I hope he will play for a longer time and I hope he will leave the Lakers healthily and retire wherever he wants, but if he is in the Lakers, it will be a little sad.