On December 31, Beijing time, the Los Angeles Clippers on the other side of the ocean sent 3 messages, let's take a look.
Harden is on track to be the best of the month
Throughout the month of December, Clippers star James Harden played well, playing in 13 games, 6 times 20+, 1 time 30+, 5 times double-double, and an average of 20 points per game2 rebounds 96 assists on three-point shooting. 3% and 876%, led the Clippers to an excellent record of 11-2 (the best record in the league for the same period) despite Leonard and George missing 4 and 2 games respectively. At present, the performance of Harden in the entire West in December can be compared to Alexander, who led the Thunder to a 9-3 record (32. per game).6 points 5, 5 rebounds 67 assists).
Although Harden's stats are not as good as Alexander's, Harden has two advantages, one is that the Clippers' team record is in stark contrast to November (5-8), and the winning percentage in December (84.).6%) is better than the Thunder (75%);On the other hand, Harden's influence on the team is higher than Alexander's, according to statistics, when Harden went down in December, when the Clippers did not win points, as a comparison, when Alexander went down, the Thunder's plus/minus was positive, and the data in all aspects was not much different from when he was on the court. In addition, the Clippers are one of the teams with the highest traffic and attention in the league, and the league rewards are more catered to fans. By all indications, Harden is hopeful to be voted the Western Conference Player of the Month in December. And once elected, this is also Harden's return to the award of the month after nearly three years, which is undoubtedly a huge boost to his self-confidence.
Wei Shao's transformation was successful
Yesterday, the Clippers faced the Grizzlies at home. In the end, after four quarters of battle, the Clippers defeated the Grizzlies 117-106 and celebrated two consecutive wins. In this game, the reason why the Clippers were able to win was not only related to the stable output of the starters, but also inseparable from the sudden rise of Wei Shao on the bench. In this game, Wei Shao played 20 minutes, shooting 6 of 9, 2 of 4 three-pointers and efficiently cut 14 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, two empty three-pointers in the first half, and the empty connection with Harden was impressive, Wei Shao's passion, vitality and ability to tear apart the opponent's defense brought enough help to the Clippers' victory.
In fact, Wei Shao's performance yesterday was just a microcosm of his good form throughout December. According to Clippers reporter Law Murray, Wei Shao played in 13 games in December, scoring in double figures eight times, rebounding in double figures twice, and made 56 of 104 shots while shooting 53The 8% also set the second-highest single-month shooting percentage in his career, second only to the 54 when he played for the Rockets in February 20209%；At the same time, the duo of Harden and Westbrook has an offensive efficiency of 1215. Defensive efficiency 1083%, net efficiency +28, and a number of data rank at the top of any combination duo in the pair.
So what is the reason why Wei Shao suddenly became so efficient from being inefficient in November?The biggest reason is because of Tyronn Lue's tactical arrangement, which allows Wei Shao to reduce ball control and organization, and focus on defense, rushing and air cutting, which is more like a big forward from the perspective of positioning. This change not only allowed Wei Shao to reduce the chance of mistakes and random plays, but also gave full play to his advantage of being able to rush and grab, and also made the Clippers' rotation lineup more reasonable. Clearly, Willis' transition from point guard to forward has been quite successful.
The 2-for-1 plan is released
Today, NBA reporter Sam Amico reported that sources revealed that the Washington Wizards have put a number of players on the trade shelf, including Tyus Jones, who are hoping to trade back competitive young players and future draft picks. Later in the evening, a local Los Angeles company suggested that the Clippers could trade for Jones in the first round of Manchester + 30. The 27-year-old Jones is 188m, weighs 88kg, and plays as a point guard on the court. Jones has played in 31 games for the Wizards this season, averaging 12 in 28 minutes per game5 points 31 rebound 54 assists 12 steals, 3 shooting percentage. 5% and 762%, a number of data hit career highs. It is worth mentioning that Jones also has the highest assist-to-turnover ratio of all players with more than 50 assists this season (6, 72), beating All-Star point guards such as Paul, Conley, and VanVleet.
For the Wizards, Mann is a swingman with both potential and immediate power, and although he has struggled with shooting this season, given enough patience and development time, Mann can be one of the important options for the team's rebuilding periodFirst-round picks are good for both personal use and trade, which is also in line with the Wizards' trade return needs.
For the Clippers, although it paid a lot of price, it was worth it compared to the return. Jones is one of the league's best point guards in the league, with his consistent scoring and excellent passing skills, which not only allows the Clippers' second team to remain aggressive enough, but also relieves Harden's playing time and organizational pressure, and also reduces injury risks to a certain extent. It seems that this is a win-win deal for each to get what it needs, and it is worth looking forward to whether it can be successfully concluded in the future.