The Lakers, led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ two billboards, have made good progress from the beginning of the season and are likely to finish the West Conference at the top. However, it was unexpected that it was so good.

Around the two billboards, we have prepared talented people who can show their individuality as “workers”, but there were many new players and it seemed that it took time to build cooperation, and there were few players who could score individually. And I didn’t think I could get the top seed at the melee West Conference, as I’m likely to run out of breath in the longest season, but head coach Frank Vogel was a superb fit for the team. The results have been achieved with simple management.

The offense at the beginning of the season was largely dependent on Lebron and Davis’ individual skills, and the cooperation did not work, but with a player who prioritized the defense, he made a safe start as a “defending team”. It was surprising that Dwight Howard revived as an excellent defender, not to mention the computable defenders such as Avery Bradley and Danny Green.

Although he was accused of “lacking concentration during the match” after the heyday, he was a player with a lot of ups and downs, but this season he worked hard in any game, in any scene. Dedicated play that never fails to support a strong goal below.

Not only Howard but also LeBron showed his devoted attitude, and until now it was said by fans that “LeBlon adjusts according to the season and makes a serious difference in the playoffs”. However, in the regular season, I often played lazy, and I rarely chase to the outside in defense, and I was hit with a 3-point shot with a defensive measure such as energy conservation. However, this season’s LeBron will chase as far as it can and will put great pressure on you. Lebron’s more devoted play is full of hard work that he can’t imagine being 35 years old.

Vogel’s hard work, which the two superstars made thoroughly, gradually became the Lakers team color. Uncompromising Vogel did not allow even veterans to cut out and continued to greedily seek victory.

However, this kind of hard work puts a heavy load on the body, and veterans in particular increase the risk of injury, but Vogel also takes clear measures in this respect. LeBron has a play time of nearly 35 minutes this season, but on the other hand, there were only two games that exceeded 40 minutes and it was overtime, and we protected the rotation with a fine break. Given the team situation that has suffered from injuries over the last few years, proper management to control injuries was also important.

Build offenses that don’t just depend on your ability

In contrast to the brilliantly maintained defense, Lebron, Davis, and Kyle Kuzma are the three individuals who can score individually in the offense, and there were many rumors of trades during the season.

But now, the Lakers team offense is so powerful that it doesn’t require such a breakthrough. Despite the fact that the Lakers drive the least number of times in the league, and the distance traveled during offense is the second smallest, players can keep a proper distance, move the ball with a fast pass and appropriate judgment. By creating opportunities, we are proud of the league seventh place score.

The beginning of the season was based on the defense power, but from the middle of the season, the team has become able to beat the team offense. In addition, being able to create opportunities just by moving the ball leads to leaving stamina to work hard in defense, and the overall functionality of offense and defense is also increasing.

Although Vogel’s skill with hard work and team offenses planted in the Lakers was impressive, the front won the Dion Waiters and JR Smith as they demanded the missing elements. Although both have individual abilities, they are also treated as problem children and are not suitable for the Lakers style of “hard work and team offense.”

Instead of increasing the number of guards that can be scored individually for the playoffs, it was a reinforcement that would also hold a bomb, but to Vogel who has done a wonderful management that also combined the feelings of the players there. It seems to be a decision because there is a sense of trust that he will integrate into the team.

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The unexpected suspension period has slowed down the team’s momentum, but having a training period that combines sufficient rest and new strength should have worked. The Lakers, led by Vogel, will continue to greedily aim for victory.