The Lakers traded Rivers for Grizzly Smart!
Those who know the Lakers know that defensive problems on the guard line have plagued the team for many years, and now Rivers, Russell and others are offensive players themselves! Defense has always been their weak link, but Vincent, who has defensive ability, only played a total of 11 games in the regular season due to injury problems after coming to the Lakers, and although he played five games in the playoffs, he lacked the necessary run-in, and the effect on the court was very average! This also leads to the fact that if the Lakers want to make a difference in the new season, they must strengthen their defense on the guard line, and the Lakers have targeted Grizzlies guard Smart on the Grizzlies guard line, Morant, a superstar, and Bane is also very strong, what they lack is a player with the ability to take the initiative to attack and score! In order to make up for their lack of backup defenders!
The deal was all about taking what you wanted, and Smart was named the Defensive Player of the Regular Season in '21-22! This makes him the sixth player in NBA history to receive this honor as a guard, which is a testament to the quality of his defense! Of course, his relaxed style has been criticized, and to some extent, he is a kind of porcelain defense, playing only 200 games with the Grizzlies this season, averaging 14.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.1 steals and 0.3 blocks per game! is still the league's top outside defensive performance, and due to Morant's reimbursement, the team has entered a bad link, which has led to him only needing to recuperate from injuries! After coming to the Lakers, he partnered with Russell in the backcourt, which can greatly improve the quality of the Lakers' backcourt defense!
Rivers can be the offensive core of the rotation lineup after coming to the Grizzlies, and he will also get more opportunities, now in the Lakers due to James, Russell! It's unrealistic for him to want too many chances, and with Bronny joining, it will further dilute the playing time of other defenders, and Rivers is one of them! Rivers averaged 15.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game this season, which is almost the same as Smart, and after coming to the Grizzlies, he only used to play his talents on the offensive end, and now at the age of 26, he needs data to win him the next big contract, and his chances after coming to the Grizzlies will definitely not be less than the Lakers!
Reddick broke his promise?
When Redick became the head coach of the Lakers, he made it clear that the Lakers would increase Rivers' role in the new season and make him the Lakers' third point of attack, but a few days after saying this, the team planned to trade him away, which was a bit fast! If the Lakers want to produce results, the transformation of the guard line is inevitable, and the Lakers' biggest trade value now is Rivers, which also shows the team's helplessness!