Legend of Tomorrow

After four consecutive victories, many people began to predict whether Guo Xu could break Chamberlain's record of 7 consecutive 50+ games, and he is likely to average more than 50 points per game this season, setting a new player's single-season scoring record.

Soaring points is what attracts fans the most. It only took Guo Xu four games to consolidate his throne after his return.

The sales of his new No. 58 jersey are astonishing, and all fans want to buy one for their collection.

Nike has also prepared its new combat boots and plans to launch them during the All-Star Weekend, which will surely be a hit.

Many fans believe that the Lakers can win the championship this season, and experts have begun to change their tone, saying that the Lakers are one of the four top seeds competing for the championship.

Only a few experts poured cold water on the Lakers' defensive problems.

It is impossible to win the championship by relying on offense. The Lakers' role players must work harder to achieve a balance between offense and defense.

The Lakers can do very well in the regular season relying on Guo Xu's personal ability, but their wing defense and pick-and-roll defense are too poor. This can be seen from veteran Vince Carter starting every game. If this weakness is not made up for, Their overall strength is not as good as the Suns in the 2005-2006 season, and it will be difficult for them to break through in the Western Conference.

This is a real expert who can see the Lakers' hidden dangers through overall data analysis, rather than following the crowd and praising a certain star.

Guo Xu won the championship in 2006, which had something to do with the team's overall defensive efficiency. The same was true for the 76ers in the 2000-2001 season. If it weren't for the superb defense of the role players, how could they have been led to the finals by a single player with a true shooting percentage of 48% in the playoffs?

Of the Lakers' four opponents, only the Clippers are playoff teams, and the other three teams are not strong. If they encounter the Spurs and Warriors, their chances of being killed by their opponents are indeed not small.

The Lakers flew back to Los Angeles. Their opponent in the next game will be the underdog Nuggets, and they will definitely win easily.

Not every player in the team is happy. Some have benefited from the tactics, while others have worse statistics than last season due to changes in tactics.

Defender Jordan Clarkson submitted a trade request to the management together with his agent. His demand was I want to play for a weak team, and the sooner I leave the team, the better.

If he plays for half a season and then leaves, Clarkson's chances of getting a big contract will be even lower. He has no data in the first half of the season. How much can he get even if he works hard in the future? He is now determined to pursue a big contract.

Who will be traded for Clarkson is a big question;

The Lakers don't need draft picks, they need immediate combat power if they want to compete for the championship.

Kupchak's idea is to replace a power forward who is good at guarding pick-and-rolls, a role player similar to Haslem's style.

Horford has injury risks, and it is not suitable to play for too long. When he takes a rest, he will have defensive problems.

Both Harrell and Boozer are currently defensive black holes, and Horford is not very good at guarding pick-and-rolls. He is actually more suitable as a center in small-ball tactics, which can completely open up the space.

The trouble is that although Clarkson's statistics last season were good and could attract some teams, he was only a second-round pick and the contract he signed was too small. It is impossible to exchange him for a strong player just by using him as a bargaining chip.

The Lakers don't have any easy-to-pack players, and Nurkic is more attractive. If they were to be replaced by one of them to achieve salary parity, the Lakers would definitely lose money.

It is impossible for Kupchak to make a decision to package a certain player without authorization, not to mention Nurkic is still the team's starting center. So he invited Guo Xu to the office after training, chatted with him about his ideas, and stated two trading intentions to see which one Guo Xu liked.

Guo Xu has no objection to trading Clarkson. This teammate has no future and has flaws in any position he plays. Unlike famous sixth men such as Lou Williams, Jamal Crawford, and Ginobili, he has unstable shooting.

He wants to leave on his own, and the Lakers have no reason to block his financial path.

Kupchak's first choice is pretty reliable, Marcus Morris of the Pistons, a mobile power forward who can shoot three-pointers and is good at opening up space on the offensive end.

However, Marcus is a strong offensive and defensive person. His defense is average as a power forward, he cannot play center, and his ability to rebound is too poor.

The second choice is to trade with the Knicks in exchange for the famous second-place pick Derrick Williams.

When 203CM Derrick was drafted, he was known as a versatile forward who could play both inside and outside. However, he was not tall enough to play power forward and looked bulky to play small forward. He shoots poorly, defends average, and rebounds poorly.

Derek is a person who has participated in the dunk contest and has excellent athletic ability. This is an important reason why he became the second place that year. Kupchak feels that letting such a person play next to Guo Xu may make progress.

Guo Xu shook his head: Don't think about it. He can't hit it. I'm not a god. I can't let this kind of player practice shooting well. I can only attract double teams and distribute the ball to the open space. God can't make the open shot. Can’t be saved.”

Kupchak asked: What do you think of Marcus? His defense is not very good. If we want to find a defensive strongman, we must send out people with potential in the team. Does Nurkic want to stay? ?I don’t think he and Horford work well together.”

Guo Xu smiled and said: He is good, let's stay. When encountering a team with poor internal confrontation ability, he can become an important offensive point, and there should be room to play in the playoffs. I feel like the two people you mentioned It’s not much use.”

Kupchak sighed, guessing that this might be the result. What Guo Xu said makes sense. Coming here won't help the team much, so why bother doing this deal?

Guo Xu thought for a while and said seriously: I have a candidate. You can try to recruit him. Maybe you can recruit him to the team, PJ Tucker of the Jazz.

Is he too short? Can he play power forward? Kupchak usually follows the NBA and knows who Guo Xu is talking about without looking up information.

Tucker, a second-round pick in 2006, was waived after playing 17 games for the Raptors. Since then, he has been ignored and forced to leave the NBA to work in Europe. At that time, his registered height was 198cm, but his actual height was only 193cm. As a small forward, he suffered from height disadvantage and his shooting was not stable enough.

After spending many years in Europe, Tucker perfected the three-point shot and returned to the NBA. In 2012, he got a contract with the Bulls.

In 2014, he joined the Jazz on a free basis and was unable to get a big contract due to height restrictions. He performed very bravely in the Jazz, not afraid of any confrontation, and was also very active in rebounding.

Tucker is a reliable corner three-point shooter who can play multiple positions. He can guard anyone, and he can even be asked to guard the opponent's interior if necessary.

Still because of his height, he didn't play much time. He averaged 5.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.3 steals in 25.3 minutes per game last season, and his shooting percentage was only 41.1%.

He is a completely free agent after this season, and his 4 million annual salary contract is not large. The Jazz are a bad team and no one is for sale. They will definitely welcome an offensive player like Clarkson to join.

The salaries of the two are not equal. The Lakers can just add a second-round pick. After the salary increase, the pick will be more valuable.

Guo Xu said: You trade him. I have rich experience in playing small ball. When he plays with Robertson, the forward position is unclear, and he can work together to support the power forward. It is enough to defend them in pick-and-rolls, and his speed can follow Get on guard.”

Kupchak thought for a moment, nodded and said, Okay, it's him.

Kupchak believes that this matter does not require any more meetings with scouts, assistant managers and others.

Guo Xu's liking is the most important, other factors are secondary. With a height of 183cm, Guo Xu can become the first person in NBA history. The little Tucker may be able to be a qualified power forward, which is much less difficult than Guo Xu.