The center forward problem? The Purple and Gold Army in the wrong direction!

With the first round of 1-4, the Lakers officially came to an end this season, and head coach Redick's rotation in the last two games also once became the focus of public opinion.

He chose five players to play to the end in the second half of G4, and no substitutions were made in the last two quarters. This record-breaking operation ended with the Lakers being reversed and eliminated. When he arrived at G5, Redick still insisted on the five-small lineup, allowing Hayes, who is the most center-powered in the team, to sit on the bench. Such extreme decisions naturally aroused external doubts and discussions.

If we follow Redick's post-game statement, we have to use five small teams to deal with it because there is no ideal center in the team. Then the essence of the matter is very simple. The real problem facing the Lakers is the difficulty of strengthening the center position. The reinforcement conditions are almost harsh.

The most ideal requirements for the Lakers in the center position are not only to have height advantages and air attacks, but also to have mobility, be able to protect the frame and perform low-level singles, and also to have certain independent ball-handling ability and large-scale assisted defense range. The most realistic and cruel one is that this player must be young enough, cheap enough, and can be obtained through trades. Under such conditions as

, it is no exaggeration to say that the Lakers are basically looking for the next Davis who has not yet become famous but has the talent to burst. At present, are there really such players in the league? Or is this just a talk on paper or a castle in the air?

For the current hardship of the Lakers, the first thing that must be directly seen is that the Lakers' salary structure this summer is extremely tight. According to the current situation, the team will have to renew Doncic with a maximum salary of 35% in the offseason, and James's other 35% maximum salary, and these two core players alone account for more than 70% of the salary cap.

Even if James is willing to cut his salary slightly, the Lakers will be able to give up a full middle class of about 13 million yuan, and they still cannot make enough space to chase the real All-Star center.

If the Lakers choose to take another path and decisively strengthen the center through trades, then the reality is also cruel. This is basically equivalent to tearing down the east wall and repairing the west wall, because the star center they want to trade basically needs to be packaged with the starter as a bargaining chip to be exchanged. If the Lakers take action easily, they will change their center strength on the surface, but the rotation depth in other positions will collapse.

It is no exaggeration to say that trading reinforcement is difficult for the Lakers to obtain a simple upgrade. It is more like a swap transaction. If you make a hole, it may make the problems in other places more obvious. What are the perfect conditions for an ideal center?

According to the current lineup needs of the Lakers, individuals' ideal centers for the Lakers must meet the following conditions:

Height: at least 208 cm above

Mobility: able to keep up with the fast-paced conversion of defense, and will not be targeted against the small ball lineup. Ability: Has a penalty area deterrence, can prevent the opponent from attacking the basket easily

Low-post singles: When teammates fail to attack, they can compress the defense line by relying on low-post offense

Self-hosting ball: not only to eat cake, but also has certain face-frame offense and singles ability

Large range of assisted defense: quick replacement and defense, make up for the weakness of the periphery defense

Three-point threat: able to open up space, help the ball clear the penalty area

Young and cheap: annual salary is in a rookie contract or below the middle class, under 25 years old , seamlessly match Doncic's peak stage, as mentioned above, the Lakers are not looking for ordinary functional centers, but the next version of Davis, and they also need to get it at low cost. In this way, the league almost does not have a young and cheap all-round center that meets the conditions.

Even if there are, such as Lively, Kessler, etc., they are the core of the team's future reconstruction plan. The opponent cannot let go easily, and it is difficult for the Lakers to make a quotation that impresses the opponent's assets, let alone want to eat these players. They also need to deal with salary matching and luxury tax issues. At present, the Lakers' No. 5 strengthening is completely a fantasy.

The gap between reality and theory

The last two games of this season completely exposed Reddick's stubbornness as a rookie coach on the playoff stage, especially in G5. A key detail is impressive enough: When James briefly left the court due to physical discomfort, it was originally expected that Reddick would send a player with height and frame protection at this point, even if it was just a short time to hit the opponent's penalty area firepower to survive this critical period of defense. After all, this is the best time for centers like Hayes to play.

However, unexpectedly, Redick chose Vincent to fill the rotation vacancy, further strengthening the backcourt mobility, not to make up for the height of the penalty area. This choice not only made the Lakers completely lose the protection of the penalty area during this period of time when James left the court, but even exacerbated the disadvantages of the five small lineups in confrontation and rebounds. Then the Timberwolves quickly realized this and continuously strengthened the inside impact and second attack. During this period, the Lakers basically lost points in every defensive round.

This choice has also become a microcosm of Redick's rotation throughout the entire series. He would rather stick to the five small team than compromise on the height. However, when there is a gap between ideal tactics and actual execution, such persistence ultimately makes the Lakers pay the price.

Judging from the season results, what the Lakers need may not be the center, but the team recognizes the reality early.

Summary of the above limitations, the Lakers' ideal center player almost does not exist in today's NBA. This is not only a team's problem, but also reflects the changes in the league's ecology. This kind of comprehensive big man who can protect the frame, defend outside, and has low-level singles and ball-holding offense is the most scarce and valuable player type in the league today. Once such players appear, they are almost the unshakable cornerstone of the team's team building, and it is impossible to trade easily..

And for Redick and the Lakers, waiting for the team to trade such a perfect center with limited assets is meaningless.

But the more realistic dilemma is that what the Lakers need at present may not be just a simple matter of filling in a center. What this team really lacks is the upgrade of the overall defensive system and the strengthening of rotation depth. To put it bluntly, in the current Lakers lineup, except for James, who is about to be over 41 years old, most young players and main players are positive assets. For a team that is still relying on a 41-year-old veteran to carry the banner of offense and defense, it has essentially entered a declining structural crisis direction.

Therefore, what the Lakers really need is not to try to find a center savior, but to adjust their thinking, calm down and cultivate new players, and build more team teams for different opponents. Whether in defensive rotation, offensive activation, or game rhythm control, the Lakers need to gradually transition from superstar-led direction to team-led. Only in this way can they rebuild stable competitiveness under the conditions of limited assets and tight salary.

If the Lakers management can truly recognize this, put aside their obsession with the center, and focus on improving the overall mechanism and the quality of role players, perhaps they can find another way out in the seemingly closed dilemma. This path may not be as eye-catching as in exchange for "Next Davis", but it may be the only practical and feasible way for the Lakers to rebirth in the era when James played against Doncic.