Data can be misleading sometimes. It may seem like the Lakers haven't been doing well this season, but when the two superstars, James and Davis, play at the same time, they have a net efficiency of 59。In comparison, Tatum and Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, who currently have the league's No. 1 record, have a net efficiency of 77；Defending champions Jokic and Murray of the Denver Nuggets have a whopping 132。Statistically, James and Davis still have some way to go to catch up with the other top duos. But there's no doubt that they remain one of the most dominant duos in the league.
However, to win a championship, it's not enough to have a superstar, you also need reliable role players. For example, players like Da Lopez, who relied on the Bucks to win the championship last year, and Bruce Brown of the Nuggets last season.
At the moment, the only role player the Lakers can rely on is basically Reaves. But the problem is that when two superstars, James and Davis, play at the same time as Reaves, the Lakers have a net efficiency of -33。That's right, you read that right, it's negative. In other words, when all three are on the court at the same time, the Lakers are in a losing position.
Next up is Reeves' defensive problem. First of all, the lanky Reeves is easily overwhelmed by the likes of power guards like Jalen Brunson, Kyle Lowry and Van Vleet. Jalen Brunson, for example, was at 53 in 8 minutes and 22 seconds against ReavesHe scored 15 points on 8% shooting.
Second, Reaves' positional sense on the defensive end is very vague. Normally, he can't find who to defend after an opponent has made a pick-and-roll. The stats show that he allows opponents to score 1. per round when defending opponents in pick-and-rolls07 points. In comparison, the figure for Wei Shao is 109 points. Such a contrast gives a sense of his defensive weaknesses.
With all that said, I think the Lakers will trade Reaves this summer. On the one hand, the Lakers have three first-round picks available for trade this summer at No. 24 or No. 25, '27 and '29; On the other hand, despite Reeves' hard work, he doesn't have a high ceiling. In addition, given Reaves' relatively good value for money contract, the Lakers could have traded him and a first-round pick for an All-Star.
It's worth mentioning that by the end of the summer, Towns and the Cavaliers only have one year left on their contract (with a player option for the final year). So, I think the Lakers will lock down the All-Star who is averaging 28 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists per game this season.
The reason lies in the issue of contracts. At the moment, it seems that Towns' contract extension with the Cavaliers is not going well, and if that happens, the Cavaliers will face the risk that Towns may leave the team on a free basis. As a result, the Lakers could use Reaves and a first-round pick to try and trade Towns.
From a combat standpoint, Towns may not be the Lakers' number one star, but he is definitely the perfect choice as the third star. And for the Lakers, getting Towns' contract is also a great trade opportunity. Therefore, "lockdown" here refers more to the identification of the number one goal and the prospect of achieving it. If they succeed in getting Towns, the Lakers' re-formed Big Three will be as good as the Nuggets in terms of combat effectiveness. Don't forget, in the playoffs of the 19-20 season, Towns and Murray had a fierce matchup.