Just wait for Lao Zhan! What did he see in the Lakers first 14 games? After his comeback, he will play more roles as a terminator.

The Lakers have 3 wins and 2 losses on their 5th consecutive road trip, and have 10 wins and 4 losses in the first 14 games, ranking fourth in the Western Conference.

In the first period without LeBron James, the Lakers did not get lost in the fog of unknowns. Although they experienced embarrassing defeats to the Thunder and Hawks, the overall record exceeded expectations, and the key players were surprising. Soon, James will train with the Lakers. If all goes well, he is expected to return to the Lakers' home game against the Jazz on November 19.

In the past month, James has been on the sidelines due to sciatica. James observed the quality of this Lakers team up close, and also thought about his style of play after his comeback and even his future choices. James must have noticed the bravery of the backcourt and the value of role players. James must have the answer to how to integrate and help this Lakers and narrow the gap between the Lakers and the championship team.

The overall playing style of a team is determined by its personnel configuration. During the absence of forward ball-carrying core James, the Lakers completely transformed into a pick-and-roll offensive team driven by a double backcourt. The portion of the ball that originally belonged to James was digested by Doncic and Reeves. After losing weight, Doncic and the upgraded Reeves took more possessions of the ball and produced higher production with higher efficiency.

Doncic averaged 34.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 8.9 assists with a ball usage rate of 35.9%. Reeves averaged 28.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game with a 28.9% ball usage rate. Doncic's competitive status improved after losing weight, and he once again hit a true shooting rate of over 60%, which is expected and reasonable. Reeves' efficiency has not decreased but has increased after carrying far more ball rights than before. It is really surprising that his reading of the game and passing ability have improved so much.

Last season, the Lakers only scored 0.91 points per pick-and-roll ball-handler offense, ranking 17th in the league. This season, the Lakers not only increased their frequency to 21.2 possessions per game, ranking third in the league, but also ranked first in the league with 1.12 points per possession, ahead of the Nuggets (0.99 points).

In addition to the abilities of Doncic and Reeves, the bonus brought by an excellent center cannot be ignored.

After Ayton bought out his contract with the Trail Blazers, Doncic actively recruited Ayton, who had been criticized for being "too soft" and "hypophobic". Doncic has studied Ayton in the 2021 playoffs. At that time, Ayton was extremely efficient in pick-and-roll finishing, and his defensive end was remarkable against Jokic and Antetokounmpo.

After Ayton came to the Lakers, he averaged 16.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. There are still problems with his pick-and-roll defensive positioning, but his offensive value alone far exceeds the annual salary given by the Lakers. With the two guns in the backcourt "making cakes", Ayton's field goal percentage was as high as 69.2%, which was higher than when working with Chris Paul. Ayton optimized his shot selection to reduce long-distance two-pointers, and averaged 14.2 points per game in the penalty area, which was higher than any previous season. He still likes to shoot in the throwing area, but he is also really accurate. His soft touch is his characteristic. He made 37 of 58 shots and hit 63.8%.

Ayton's more solid cover, higher efficiency in finishing in the penalty area, and more diverse playing styles help the two guns create a better offensive environment. Compared with Hayes, he is a significant upgrade. The "five-position threat" is exactly what the Lakers lacked when they lost to the Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs last season. In the first round of Game 5 last season, Gobert destroyed the Lakers inside with 27 points and 24 rebounds in a single game. The Lakers have defeated the Timberwolves twice this season. Ayton made 15 of 22 shots and scored 32 points and 18 rebounds. Gobert made 5 of 7 shots and scored 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Who would have thought that the Lakers' offseason "one-gas-to-three-clear" approach would be so effective? Finney Smith left in exchange for Ayton, Laravia, and Smart joining.

Smart has become the spiritual symbol of the Lakers' defensive end. He was once the king of plus-minus for the Lakers. His steals, communication, and confrontation supported the Lakers' defense. With or without Smart, the Lakers' defensive efficiency is at two extremes. With Smart on the court, the Lakers only conceded 108 points per 100 possessions, compared with 119.6 points.

Laravia will experience a cold night of 1-for-10 shooting, but he can contribute in other ways when he cannot score points, whether it is rebounding, passing, or defense. He is somewhat of a role player.

Rui Hachimura played a career masterpiece during James' absence, averaging 15.8 points per game, shooting 57.7% from the field and 50% from three-point range. After joining the Lakers, Hachimura developed in the direction of a "money ball forward". This season, he regained his mid-range shooting during James' absence. He made 18 of 28 mid-range shots for 64.3%. Redick even compared him with Jordan and Leonard. By the way, before June 30 next year, Hachimura is eligible to sign a four-year, $114.5 million early contract extension. Will the Lakers give it?

When James returns, the Lakers are no longer the team they were yesterday. He will definitely have to continue to transform and play more of a terminator on the offensive end. As for defense, the Lakers currently lack defensive resources on the perimeter. Their background is "crazy offense." They are already ranked 14th in defensive efficiency. James' comeback can bring some help to the Lakers on the defensive end, but it will be difficult for the Lakers' defense to enter the top 10 in the league. The Lakers' winning logic is still "win with decent defense and suppress the opponent's offense."

There is no need to worry about the distribution of ball rights. As Arenas said, James has already delegated power after Doncic joined last season, giving more ball rights to Doncic and Reeves. For the first time in his career, he became the player with the third longest ball possession time on the team. After James returns, his time holding the ball should be further reduced and he will be more involved in pick-and-rolls as a screener, especially when Doncic is on the court.

Last season, James and Doncic played 25 games together, and James only set 44 screens for Doncic. Taking into account James' ability to finish down the line and his ability to instigate after a short pass down, Dongzhan's pick-and-roll can become another killer move for the Lakers..

James revealed on media day that in order to adapt to Doncic, he once again polished his catching and shooting during the offseason. In the past two seasons, James' catch-and-shoot three-point shooting percentages were 47.3% and 42% respectively. Who says James can't play without the ball? This season, the Lakers averaged 18.5 catch-and-shoot three-point attempts per game, which ranked bottom in the league, and ranked eighth from the bottom with a 34.7% accuracy. James can bring a huge improvement to the Lakers in this area.

During rotation or critical moments, when Doncic and Reeves are heavily guarded, James' ball-holding ability can still be used as a trump card. After all, he was still a member of the second team of the All-NBA Team last season. Playing this way, James will not stand in the way of Doncic and Reeves, and it will be easier for him.

The Lakers will have 5 home games in the next 6 games. Their opponents are the Jazz (2 times), Clippers, Mavericks, Pelicans and Suns. After that, the Lakers played six consecutive away games. Their opponents were the Raptors, Celtics, 76ers, Jazz, Clippers, and Suns. There were not many strong teams, and the schedule was relatively easy, which was conducive to the Lakers helping James find his form and get used to it. After these 12 games, the focus of the Christmas Day game against the Rockets will be a test of the true strength and championship potential of the "LeBron Lakers".