NBA Old Age Star System

Chapter 379 The Lakers bench is full of talents
The Lakers' first game of the new year is against the Suns at home.

On January 2020, 1, the Phoenix Suns visited Staples.

The Staples venue was packed with people, and the Lakers also specially prepared some New Year-related elements.

The overall strength of the Suns has not changed much. No. [-] pick Lang Ayton can finally play normally, but due to ability issues, he is currently on the bench and has not entered the starting lineup.

The leader and main attacker of the Suns is still the undisputed Booker.

At the beginning of the game, the Lakers, led by Su Tian, ​​went all out and scored 43-17 in a single quarter.

In the second quarter, the Lakers continued to exert their strength, scoring 31-24 in a single quarter. The Lakers' strength directly formed a crushing trend.

At the end of the first half, 74-41, the Lakers had led by 33 points.

Seeing that the overall situation was decided, Walton let the starters play for a few minutes in the third quarter and then directly replaced them all with the substitute lineup and bench.

The Lakers' bench can be said to be up to par. Even when they faced the Suns' starting lineup, they still played very energetically, and the scene seemed to be going back and forth.

Among them, Su Tian observed that Dort and Keldon Johnson have made significant progress. According to this trend, they will have the strength to enter the Lakers rotation next season.

The defense of Curry Jr. and Dun Luo still has flaws, but the threat from beyond the three-point line is also something people dare not ignore.

On the inside, led by thick eyebrows, McGee, Boucher, and Cousins ​​all performed well.

In the fourth quarter, Su Tian once again led the bench. After playing a few rounds, he saw that the Suns had no intention of resisting anymore, so they took a rest and handed the game over to the bench.

In the end, the game ended and the Lakers won the game 117-95.

The Big Three of the Lakers don't have much playing time, so their statistics are relatively average. On the contrary, the statistics of the bench lineup are more outstanding.

库兹马拿到了21分5篮板3助攻，卡鲁索拿到了13分6助攻3篮板，纳恩拿到了22分2助攻2篮板。

The three of them have become the most powerful players on the bench.

After the game, Booker came to the Lakers as usual to hug Su Tian and others.

Booker is also considered a young talent at the shooting guard position, and has been dubbed the successor of Mamba. There is even a tribute to Kobe Bryant in the official NBA promotional clip.

"Dewen, you played well, keep up the good work!" Su Tian patted Booker on the back and said.

Booker forced a smile, but smiled and didn't say anything else.

On January 1, the Pelicans visited Staples.

This is also the first time Ingram and others have visited the Lakers this season.

The Pelicans' starting lineup is different from the last time they played against the Lakers. Wood and Nance were both rushed to the bench, and only Ingram was left in the starting lineup.

Before the game started, Wood came to the Lakers bench to say hello.

When greeting Su Tian, ​​Wood couldn't help but talk to Su Tian.

"Su, why don't I go back to Los Angeles? I still prefer the atmosphere of the Lakers."

Su Tian couldn't help laughing after hearing this. It seemed that Wood's life there was not going well.

"Now you are not the same as before. The Lakers can't afford your contract, so you should just take your big contract honestly."

Su Tian joked with a smile.

Wood also smiled and went back after hearing this.

Obviously, for Wood, atmosphere is nothing compared to money.

Soon, the game started, and it was still the Lakers who had the first offensive right.

The one responsible for defending Su Tian on the Pelicans is still Hart. Although Holiday's defensive skills are better, there is a big gap in size, and Hart is not as suitable.

There is no doubt that the main output point of the Pelicans' offense is still Ingram, and George is responsible for the defense.

After the game started, the Lakers still took the undisputed lead.

Leading the Pelicans by 12 points in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, both sides came on as substitutes. Wood tried his best to express himself, but there was no other player to cooperate with him. Wood had no right to the ball, let alone the right to take action, and his performance was not even as good as that of a water dispenser keeper.

Nance's performance was quite satisfactory, with no major mistakes and no outstanding performance.

At the end of the first half, the Lakers' lead had reached 20 points.

"It seems that the gap with the Lakers is still so obvious."

Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry thought to himself.

As a head coach with ideals and pursuits, he naturally has the heart to overthrow the strongest team, but the reality is that the gap is too big.

Soon the second half continued, and the Pelicans began to try more three-pointers, trying to catch up with the score in the third quarter.

But things went counterproductive. After the Pelicans increased their three-point shots, not only did they not get closer to the score, but they actually got wider and wider.

At the end of the third quarter, the point difference had been stretched to 27 points.

Therefore, in the fourth quarter, the Pelicans only resisted symbolically and then gave up.

In the end, the game was won by the Lakers without any danger.

Although the game was uneventful, Su Tian still saw Ingram's progress.

However, although Ingram has improved in personal strength, he is still lacking in becoming the leader of the team and lacks the temperament to become a leader.

On January 1, the Lakers continued to play at home against the Pistons.

The current Pistons have nothing to be afraid of. Drummond's abilities basically stop here. If they don't make signings, the Pistons will basically stop here.

However, after careful observation, Su Tian discovered that Derrick Rose was still sitting on the Pistons bench.

Rose's performance this season is pretty good. Although he spends most of his time in the substitute lineup and substitute time period, Rose's contract is not large, so his immediate combat effectiveness is still very good.

The game between the Lakers and the Pistons also went without incident, and the Lakers won the game firmly.

However, during the substitute period, in order to better defend Rose, Su Tian specially mentioned a few words about Caruso, which benefited Caruso a lot. After using it on the court, it turned out to be very effective.

On January 1, the Lakers welcomed their last guest for five consecutive home games, the New York Knicks.

According to Johnson's side, the Knicks are very interested in Brunson this season, and they seem to be interested in cultivating Brunson as the team's future core.

In this game, Su Tian also intentionally wanted Brunson to perform, so he frequently passed the ball on the offensive end to assist Brunson.

Brunson also lived up to expectations, scoring 33 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds and 1 steal, and was named the best of the game.

The management here in New York naturally wanted it very much, but the Lakers never let go.

After the game, Su Tian, ​​as the boss of the team, naturally received an interview about Brunson.

"As for Jalen, I think he is a very talented player. I think his potential has not been fully tapped yet. He still has a lot of potential."

Su Tian's words once again attracted the public's attention and attention to Brunson.

After successfully defeating the Knicks, the Lakers ended their comfortable five-game home streak, followed by two consecutive away games, back-to-back.

On January 1, the Lakers came to Dallas to play against the Mavericks away from home.

The Mavericks' lineup has not changed much, and Doncic still lacks inside helpers and the team's defensive pillars.

When George faced Doncic on the defensive end, the Mavericks completely lost their threat.

What's more, with Su Tian's intrusion from time to time, plus the thick eyebrows and McGee inside to help defend, it is extremely difficult for Doncic to score easily.In the end, the Lakers won the game 117-93.

After the game, Su Tian noticed that Cuban on the sidelines looked at him differently.

"This old boy, doesn't he want to kidnap me to the Lone Ranger?"

"I'm not going to Dallas. Whoever wants to go can go!"

The Lakers didn't have time to stay in Dallas and headed to Oklahoma overnight.

The Lakers played back-to-back games against the Thunder on the road.

After comprehensive consideration, Wharton still took a rest.

The offseason is too long. If the Lakers want to defend their title, ensuring the health of their players is essential.

So when the game started the next day, all the Lakers' main players sat on the bench wearing suits.

The Lakers' starting lineup is Caruso, Nunn, Dunro, Kuzma, and Boucher.

In addition, Payton Jr., Curry Jr., Keldon Johnson, Dort, and Cousins ​​​​on the bench all have the opportunity to play.

On the Thunder side, the entire main lineup led by Paul took the field.

Unsurprisingly, this game was won by the Thunder, and the Lakers suffered their fourth defeat of the game.

However, there were still some twists and turns in the game, mainly because Kuzma ushered in a big explosion.

Kuzma scored 36 points, 7 rebounds and 1 assist, the highest score among the Lakers.

Thanks to Kuzma's extraordinary performance, the Lakers still played back and forth with the Thunder during the game, and the scene didn't look bad.

However, at the critical moment of the fourth quarter, the Lakers' young players still suffered from inexperience, allowing Paul to catch a loophole.

After the game against the Thunder, the Lakers returned to Los Angeles.

Because the Lakers' main lineup does not play back-to-back games, the main players' physical reserves are still very abundant.

On January 1, the Lakers played against the Cavaliers at home.

Although the current Cavaliers have a poor record, the core of the team has been established, and they have successfully transitioned from the LeBron era to the Garland era.

Although the current Garland can't hold on.

In this game, the Lakers used all their main players and successfully led by 30 points at halftime, without any pressure at all.

In the end, this game was won without any doubt.

On January 1th, the Lakers faced the Magic at home.

After this game, the Lakers will have another five consecutive away games.

It can be said that the entire January game schedule is not very friendly to the Lakers.

There is nothing to say about the Magic's current lineup. Neither Fultz nor Vucevic is capable of supporting a team.

Not even as hard as Aaron Gordon.

In the end, the Lakers defeated the Magic 119-98, and the entire Lakers team also used this game to adjust their preparation for the game.

The next day, Su Tian started his fifth consecutive away game with the Lakers.

The first stop is the Lakers' old rival, the Houston Rockets.

The current core of the Rockets is still Harden. At first, because of the trade between Westbrook and Paul, Westbrook and Harden were very happy, but as time went by, problems slowly emerged, and the two have realized that the two People are no longer suitable.

But it is not that simple to trade now, so for now we can only try to see if there is a better solution.

The Lakers came to Houston one day early in order to better adjust their condition.

As soon as the Lakers arrived in Houston, Harden's call came.

"Hey Su, which hotel is it? I'll pick you up. By the way, call George. Russell is following me."

"Okay, come here then."

Su Tian and George waited downstairs for a while before Harden arrived.

Westbrook and George hugged each other as soon as they met.

"Hey! Russell! Long time no see!"

"Paul! My good brother! Long time no see!"

On the other hand, Su Tian and Harden were more normal. They just high-fived and bumped their chests to say hello.

Seeing that Westbrook and George wanted to continue talking, Harden immediately stepped forward to interrupt.

"Okay, you two, I have already made a reservation. We will eat and chat in a while. Don't be in a hurry."

"Okay, okay, don't worry, don't worry."

After saying that, Harden immediately arranged for a car to pick up the four people and take them to the designated place.

The four of them chatted while eating, and they talked until midnight without realizing it.

"James, I see why you are not in a very high mood today." Su Tian said pretending not to care.

"Ah? Yes? No, it's okay."

Hearing Harden's answer, Su Tian couldn't help but ask further questions.

After the dinner, Harden proposed to start the second game, but George and Westbrook both expressed their refusal, so the four had to end it there.

Before leading him away, Su Tian patted Harden on the shoulder.

"James, we are brothers. If anything bad happens, remember to call me at any time."

Hearing Su Tian's words, Harden was stunned for a moment, then stepped forward and hugged Su Tian.

"Good brother, don't worry, I will remember it."

Su Tian noticed that when Harden turned his head, the expression on his face improved significantly.

In fact, Harden himself was once a "healer".

DeRozan and Harden were friends before entering the league, and DeRozan's depression is well known. It was with Harden's encouragement and help that DeRozan was able to get where he is today step by step.

So Harden is very familiar with DeRozan, and the relationship between the two is also very good.

Now that Harden has emotional and psychological problems, Su Tian is willing to take on the role of a "healer" to help Harden get out of his predicament.

However, Harden's condition is obviously not as serious as DeRozan's. It should only be caused by being too depressed recently, but even so, Su Tian's simple words gave Harden a great motivation.

The next day, the game started on time.

Players from both sides began to take the field. Su Tian observed that Harden's mood had obviously improved, so Su Tian also felt relieved.

At the same time, Su Tian also observed the Rockets' starting lineup.

Westbrook, Harden, Ben McLemore, PJ Tucker, Capela.

(End of this chapter)