Last chance in the era of King James: The Lakers five major signings this summer have decided to Doncic s peak period!

The Lakers are standing on the edge of the cliff. In the desperate situation of falling behind the Timberwolves 1-3 in the Western Conference semi-finals, the problems exposed by this giant team are more serious than expected. Although they have two superstars, James and Doncic, the structural flaws of the lineup have made their road to championships full of thorns.

Game4's playing time statistics are shocking: Reeves plays for 35 minutes, with the least of the core five players, Hachimura Ai and Van Debiao both exceeding 40 minutes, and James and Doncic play almost the whole game. This extreme rotation not only caused the Lakers to frequently cut off power in the final quarter, but also laid hidden dangers of injury. Behind the coaching staff’s inability to replace people easily is the embarrassing reality that no one on the bench is available.

Inside vacuum became a fatal injury to the series. After Hayes was abandoned due to foul issues, the Lakers completely lost the barrier of the penalty area. This directly led to three major consequences: the quality of the pick-and-roll plummeted, which greatly reduced Doncic's offensive threat; rebound protection was useless, and averaged 8.3 rebounds to the Timberwolves in the series; the defensive portal in the penalty area opened wide, and the opponent averaged 12.5 points more inside scores. The Lakers who have no qualified center are like fighters who have lost their shields.

Outdoor firepower is also worrying. Reeves was completely locked by Edwards, and only made 4 of 14 shots against each other; Hachimura's three-point shooting percentage plummeted to 31.8%; the team's three-point shooting percentage was only 34.2% in the series. When the opponent can unscrupulously shrink the defense line, the Lakers' offensive space is compressed to breathe.

Offs adjustments are imperative. Salary space is the primary problem: if James and Van Debiao execute the player options, the Lakers' total salary will reach 189.2 million, far exceeding the luxury tax line. Whether James is willing to cut his salary will become the key, and if he can accept a contract of 35-40 million, it will make valuable space for the team.

center reinforcement is an urgent task. The safe plan is to trade Clarkston of the Nets, whose mobility is perfectly adapted to modern basketball; the radical plan is to package Reeves and Vincent to exchange for Gafford and Christie from the Mavericks; in the free market, Turner of the Pacers is also an ideal candidate. At the same time, it is necessary to introduce high-quality 3D. Both the Nets' Cameron Johnson or the Suns' Reus O'Neal can improve their wing strength.

But the practical difficulties cannot be ignored: the Lakers have very few draft picks to use, and they are almost the only bargaining chips in the first round of 2029; pursuing super giants such as Antetokounmpo requires Doncic, which is contrary to the management's idea of ​​building a team; Coach Ham prefers five small lineups, which conflicts with the concept of using traditional centers.

Although there is still a possibility of a reversal in theory, the Lakers management must be clear that the personal abilities of James and Doncic alone cannot make up for the lineup defects. This summer, they need to find the best solution to improve their inside defense and perimeter projection within limited operating space. After all, the championship window left for James is closing quickly, and every opportunity is precious.