NBA peak

Chapter 617 Matthews and Bojan

Chapter 617 Matthews and Bojan

Seeing everyone's excitement, Kobe shook his head helplessly, and then led Ge Feng out of the locker room.

"Our defensive enthusiasm this season is enough, but at critical moments, I still hope that you can stand up, press close, and steal opponents, just like when you steal Anthony just now."

Ge Feng nodded.

As soon as Kobe went out, he began to summarize the advantages, disadvantages and turning points of the game with Ge Feng.

Among them, in the fourth quarter, before the Lakers let the Blazers lose their resistance, the most important goal was Ge Feng stealing Anthony in a single defense, interrupting the Blazers' scoring rhythm.

The locker room is still carnival, and Kobe and Ge Feng have already entered the post-match summary.

Kobe is indeed a workaholic, but Ge Feng likes such a head coach.

After retiring, players will have a lot of time to enjoy carnival.

But before retiring, Ge Feng wanted to put all his thoughts on his career.

Only when the peak of the career is high enough, the joy of living in the next life will be higher.

This is an obvious truth.

"Stealing Anthony is not difficult. After all, he is not the same Anthony as before. It's just that when I face younger and more explosive peak players, I need some tactical arrangements to ensure the success rate of steals at critical moments." Ge Feng said.

"You're right, what do you think of Bojan?" Bryant asked.

"He is indispensable for three-pointers in the backcourt and threading needles, but at critical moments, Bo Yang will almost be embarrassed."

"If you let Matthews play at the last moment, can you hold up the backcourt for three points?" Kobe asked again.

Ge Feng was stunned for a moment, then nodded.

"I dare not say anything else. If I'm not sure about three-pointers, I'm basically not far from retirement." Ge Feng said confidently.

Kobe smiled.

"That's good. With your words, I dare to make more attempts in the game. Ge Feng, don't forget the three-pointer. After all, this is still the era of small ball!"

Ge Feng nodded, as a tacit consent.

The Matthews mentioned by Kobe just now is an excellent 3D player in the league who just introduced the Lakers in the new season.

His role is somewhat similar to that of Danny Green and Bo Yang.

But unlike Bojan, Matthews' organizational skills are a little bit worse, but his defensive ability is at the same level as Leonard.

Matthews played the starting guard for the Bucks last season, averaging only 7.5 points + 2.5 rebounds + 1.5 assists per game.

Although the data is bleak, his defensive efficiency last season was surprisingly high.

Last season, among all players who averaged at least 15 minutes per game, Matthews' defensive efficiency was 98.3, second in the league.

This is the reason why others can't look at it.

Since Matthews entered the NBA to play, he has always been developing in the 3D direction.

Now his three-point shooting rate is only 36.5%, which is more than one grade worse than Bo Yang.

But Matthews' defensive ability is top in the league, and this is where the Lakers need him most.

After the adjustment of the Lakers in the new season, there is no lack of organization and offense. What is lacking is a defensive champion and a champion who can shoot three-pointers. Matthews' 3D attributes can perfectly fit this Lakers.

The only question now is whether Bryant will have Bojan or Matthews on the court in the clutch moments of the game.

The relationship between Kobe and Ge Feng is already very close. It is not an exaggeration to say that Ge Feng is Kobe's personal disciple.

The current backcourt of the Lakers is dominated by Ge Feng. Kobe wants to hear Ge Feng's opinion so that he can decide the player allocation at critical moments.

It was also difficult for Ge Feng to make a choice.

Bo Yang's defense is a loophole. While the three-pointer poses a threat to the enemy, it is also very likely to be used by the opponent to beat Bo Yang.

Matthews is not as good as Bo Yang in three-point shooting and organization.

When Matthews is on the court, the Lakers' wing defense will be among the best in the league.

But the consequence of this is that the pressure on the offensive end of the backcourt falls entirely on Ge Feng and Schroeder.

Moreover, Schroeder is still not good at organizing, and Ge Feng's situation will be similar to last season.

The good thing is that with the bonus of the inverted triangle tactics, the threat of Davis and Schroeder has increased a lot compared to last season, and Ge Feng will not be so easily double-teamed by opponents.

Another point worth considering is injuries.

Both Bojan and Matthews are 3D players recovering from major injuries.

Bojan Bogdanovic underwent right wrist surgery in 2019, resulting in a full year of injury.

After his comeback, Bo Yang often felt pain in his right hand.

After the Jazz were eliminated by the Lakers in the 2019 playoffs, Bojan was traded to the Lakers and became an important functional player for the Lakers.

However, after joining the Lakers, Bo Yang has been fighting with injuries.

Shooting three-pointers with one hand has become Bo Yang's label after returning from injury.

However, during this year's off-season, Bo Yang once again felt the pain of injuries.

The Lakers management is very worried about this matter, and has checked Bo Yang's right wrist many times, but all the data are negative, and no damage was found.

As for Matthews, in fact, Matthews could also become a star-level player back then.

If Matthews hadn't experienced a ruptured Achilles tendon and two serious injuries to a broken leg, he could have become a hot All-Star player in the NBA.

During his peak period, Matthews averaged 16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals per game, and his three-point shooting percentage was as high as 47.4%. He is a very fierce top small forward with both offense and defense.

But in 2015, Matthews suffered a serious Achilles tendon injury and was reimbursed for the season.

After his comeback, Matthews' strength has declined, but he is one of the players whose status has declined relatively little after the Achilles tendon ruptured.

Until 2018, Matthews suffered a stress fracture (broken leg) again and was reimbursed again for the season.

This serious injury completely caused Matthews to lose his peak.

But after Matthews returned to the game, he still has good 3D attributes.

Although he is far from the peak strength, his defensive attitude and defensive experience are among the best in the league.

Matthews said in an interview that after he suffered a torn Achilles tendon, Kobe helped him recover.

And this year, Matthews was able to sign with the Lakers with a basic salary because of Kobe's preference.

This offseason, the Lakers poached Matthews from the Bucks with a basic salary of 1 million US dollars for one year, and prepared to let him replace Bo Yang as a substitute.

Matthews' defensive ability in the preseason is really good.

On the offensive end, he only needs to find a good open, receive a wonderful pass from the bald Mamba or Gasol, and hit a three-pointer.

The Lakers won't ask him too much, just hope that his defensive value can be fully played.

Matthews is very clear about his position in the Lakers. He can play as a starter or as a substitute.

Matthews' attitude of earnestly fulfilling his role as a player is the root of Kobiken's trust in him.

After analyzing the attributes of Bo Yang and Matthews, Kobe returned to the office alone without waiting for Ge Feng to answer.

It will take time to test whether Matthews can replace Bojan at a critical moment.

(End of this chapter)