In the past 23-24 season, James has been 496 successful passes converted into 74 assists, although only 11th in the league in assists, but second only to East Jones (93 times) and Sabonis Jr. (79 times). It's worth noting that James spent 82 percent of his minutes playing at the number four and 17 percent at the number five. Although he is capable of playing the No. 1 position as an all-round fighter, due to physical considerations, Lao Zhan has not held the position of guard since the 21-22 season. Even if he doesn't play the No. 1 position, James still ranks among the top in the league in assists.
It has to be mentioned that Russell's performance is also eye-catching. Since the game against the Thunder, Russell has been 540 successful passes converted to 68 assists. In terms of individual offense, he finished with 66The 8% true shooting percentage averaged 248 points, comparable to two-way guards such as Harden and Haliburton, with both individual offense and team tandem ability. Russell's trade value has also been climbing in his performance.
There is reason to believe that the Lakers may trade Russell, and one of the reasons is the contract. Last offseason, Russell signed a 1+1 contract with the Lakers. If he continues to perform well this season, he will most likely opt out of his contract and the Lakers will not be able to re-sign him without bird rights. Considering Russell's current performance, the Lakers are more likely to lose him this summer. In order to avoid losing in vain, it became a reasonable option to use Russell in exchange for other players.
As for the direction of reinforcement, the writer believes that the inside line is the first choice. At the moment, the Lakers' interior defense and offense rely mainly on thick eyebrows, especially on the defensive end. This shows that the Lakers are in dire need of reinforcement from their interior players, especially as Wood and Hayes struggle to take on big responsibilities. So far this season, Bushy has successfully defended opponents' shots of less than 6 feet in 42% of the rounds on the defensive end, which is a significant improvement from last season. During the same period, Vucevic was able to contribute an average of 169 points and 10A double-double of 7 rebounds, and he averages 3 per game as a center6 assists, showing a certain ability to play.
Considering Russell's contract and the Lakers' interior needs, it is expected that he will be traded to Vucevic. Vucevic currently has signed a three-year, $60 million contract with the Bulls. Considering the Bulls' current poor record and the imminent expiration of DeRozan's contract, there is a possibility that they will rebuild, especially if they openly peddle LaVine. The Lakers are expected to trade Russell to acquire Vucevic to form an interior twin tower combination of Bushy Eyebrows and Vucevic.
After losing Russell, James will have to work harder and need to take on more team tandem pressure. Without players like Reaves and Hachimura to provide enough tandem ability, James will face a bigger challenge.