NBA Old Age Star System

The Lakers' pre-game training camp has been open for a few days, and the various lineups have begun to work together. Although the strength of the Lakers' bench lineup has declined this season, as long as Su Tian leads it, it will be enough.

After an offseason, Su Tian observed that some players have made very obvious progress, including not only Brunson before, but also Keldon Johnson, Brando, and Dort who are on their rookie contracts.

In Su Tian's view, Johnson's strength is no problem as a starter, not to mention that in the Lakers' starting lineup, Johnson does not have to bear many responsibilities, which reduces his pressure.

Although Dort and Brando are still in their rookie contracts, their immediate combat abilities are fully qualified for their current positions.

Seeing the team's thriving scene, Su Tian expressed his expectation.

But it's not all good news. Some players have declined, such as Paul George.

"Paul, you've been too indulgent this offseason, buddy," Su Tian joked with a smile.

"Oh, it's a bit too much, but don't worry, I will adjust my condition as soon as possible." George said sheepishly.

After returning from a vacation, George gained more than one lap of weight. So when the training camp just started, Walton had to ask George to lose weight and control his diet.

George also knew that he was in the wrong, so he cooperated very cooperatively in losing weight, trying to return to his previous state before the game started.

A few days later, the Lakers took makeup photos and were interviewed by reporters at the same time. As the star of the Lakers, Su Tian naturally cannot miss this link.

"Su, what are your views or expectations for the Lakers' new season?"

"Su, are the Lakers still aiming to win the championship in the new season?"

"Su, what do you think of your new teammates?"

"Su, do you think your new teammates are strong enough to support you in winning the championship?"

These reporters asked questions one after another after seeing Su Tian, ​​and Su Tian could only answer them one by one while trying to avoid the traps.

"I have always said before that no matter what changes happen to the team, my goal has never changed, and that is to win the championship, and it is the same this season."

"This season the Lakers have many new friends. This is normal. I welcome these new friends and wish the old friends better development."

"We still need a period of time to adjust, and I don't know exactly what it will look like, but our goal is the same, and that is to win the championship!"

After dealing with these reporters easily, the preparations for the 21-22 season are all over, and the next step is to welcome the preseason of the new season.

At the same time, the running-in within the Lakers team is gradually getting on the right track. After all, the main players have not changed. All the players who come and go are role players, and the running-in is easy.

Soon the time came to October 10th, and the Lakers' first preseason game arrived on time. The Lakers played against the Nets at home.

The Nets' season can be said to be very regretful. They originally had enough strength to compete for the championship, but because of Antetokounmpo's kick, Irving was directly lifted off the court, and the Nets also lost that round of the series.

After an offseason of training, Irving resurrected with full blood and returned to the game.

The Nets were not idle during the offseason, and brought in many good players such as Millsap, Aldridge, and Bruce Brown.

It's just that in this preseason game, the Nets did not send out the main lineup, but only arranged the substitute lineup and the bench.

Irving, Durant, Harden and others sat on the sidelines watching the game in casual clothes, and none of them appeared on the playing list.

This is not the case for the Lakers. After all, they are at Staples. The Lakers must also consider the feelings of the Lakers fans who come here and let the main players go up and play for a few minutes.

Soon the game started, and the Lakers naturally got the starting lineup.

Brunson, Su Tian, ​​Johnson, George, thick eyebrows.

The Nets have a weak substitute lineup.

After the game started, Su Tian got the ball and started the first attack.

Su Tian knew exactly what the fans wanted to see, so he made a quick change of direction in front of his body to shake off the defense, and then headed towards the basket with the ball.

Su Tian was very fast, and the Nets didn't react in time, so they could only watch as Su Tian succeeded in a one-handed dunk.

2-0

Su Tian contributed a dunk at the beginning of the game, which directly satisfied the expectations of the fans at the scene. So in the next few rounds, Su Tian stopped playing hard and started passing the ball to assist his teammates.

Within a few minutes, Walton called a timeout, removed all the main lineup except Johnson, and put on the substitute lineup to start training mode.

The big three, Su Tian, ​​George, and Thick Eyebrows, all put on training uniforms, and it seemed that they did not plan to play again.

The three of them did not play in the next game, but they were also very dedicated and acted as the atmosphere team off the court.

At the end of the game, the Lakers won the game 123-101.

Although a preseason game doesn't mean much, it can also be seen that the Lakers' bench lineup is not as weak as everyone thought.

Time soon came to October 10, the Lakers' second preseason game, an away game against the Suns.

The Suns also made some reinforcements during the offseason, and preseason games were naturally used for training. Booker also did not appear on the playing list.

On the Lakers' side, the Big Three were not on the playing list, so the Lakers also sent a substitute lineup.

Brunson, Dort, Johnson, Brando, Boucher.

On the Suns side, although Booker did not play, Paul, Ayton, and Bridges all started.

So the Lakers deserved to lose this game.

However, after losing the game, the Lakers were not frustrated because the Lakers only lost by 5 points.

In other words, the Lakers gave up the Big Three and faced the Suns without Booker, only 5 points behind.

After the game, Su Tian also took the initiative to say hello to the Suns.

McGee, the Lakers' backup center last season, came to the Suns this offseason and enriched the Suns' inside line.

Su Tian had a good relationship with Mikey, so he naturally stepped forward to say hello.

On October 10, the Lakers continued their footsteps and played against the Warriors away from home.

In this game, the Big Three of the Lakers only played Su Tian, ​​while the Warriors except Clay and Wiggins all played.

Su Tian naturally knew that according to the original history, the championship this season would be the Warriors.

It's just that some players from the Warriors have been recruited to the Lakers, including Bjelica, Otto Porter, Payton Jr. and others.

But these are just role players, and Curry is still strong.

It's just that because this game is a preseason game, both the Lakers and the Warriors are mainly training, so neither team has shown their full strength. In the end, the Lakers won the game, but not by much.

On October 10, the Lakers returned to their home court and faced the Suns again.

This time the Lakers sent George and Nongmei, but Su Tian did not play.

With two people leading the team, they originally played pretty well in the first half, but after the two stopped playing in the second half, the Lakers began to have some problems.

So in the second half, the Lakers were caught up by the Suns. Under the leadership of Paul and Bridges, the Suns finally won the game 103-94.

After this game, Walton also gained a deeper understanding of the team's current problems.

In fact, the Lakers' current problem is not serious. The most important thing is that they have many offensive points but lack organizational points.

Of course, if one of the Big Three is present, this matter can be solved.

But if the Big Three are away, the Lakers' bench lineup will need to find a suitable organizational point.

At present, the only two people who are more suitable are Brunson and Johnson.

However, Brunson's character and style are more inclined to attack with the ball. Although Johnson is more versatile, his level is not up to it, and it is easy for him to become omnipotent.

But the Lakers currently have no better way. They can only train the two of them to see who can take on the big responsibility in the end.

Fortunately, preseason games are used to identify and solve problems. If these problems are discovered early, they can be solved early.

On October 10, the Lakers continued their preseason tour and played against the Warriors at home.

This game was unremarkable, because all the main players of the Lakers played and established a huge lead from the beginning of the game.

The substitute lineup followed step by step and won the game steadily.

On October 10th, the Lakers' last preseason game was an away game against the Kings.

The Kings have been ups and downs for many seasons, and there is still no improvement.

But Su Tian knows that De'Aaron Fox has gradually grown up, and they only need to wait for a core inside player to be in place, and the Kings can make a difference.

However, in this current game, the Kings are still firmly suppressed by the Lakers.

At the end of the game, the Lakers won the game 116-102. At this point, the Lakers' preseason games are all over, with a total record of 5 wins and 1 loss, which is relatively in line with everyone's expectations.

After the six preseason games, the Lakers began to prepare for the new regular season.

As the winning team last season, the Lakers must be scheduled for the opening game, and they will also be awarded championship rings and raise the championship flag.

But before the start of the regular season, Walton found Su Tian to discuss the tactical arrangements for the new season.

"Su, you also know our lineup and situation for the new season. To be honest, it will be difficult to continue to win the championship this season." Walton said awkwardly.

Su Tian naturally knows the real situation. He shouts slogans, but he must also recognize the reality.

"I know the coach, but I still want to give it a try. Besides, coach, don't you want to try for four consecutive championships?"

What Su Tian said seemed to be magical, attracting Wharton into his reverie.

That's four consecutive championships! Four consecutive championships that even Jordan failed to achieve!

Wharton couldn't help but take a deep breath and said: "Su, I have to say that your proposal is very tempting, and I really want to try it."

"But Su, if we really want to try to win the championship this season, we need to give up some things. After all, you know, we are the public enemy of the league now. The more we want to win the championship, the more we have to keep a low profile. Our regular season record We can’t keep it this high anymore and it’s important for everyone’s health.”

Walton's words also made Su Tian think about it. In fact, Walton's meaning was very simple, that is, giving up the regular season record could not only preserve the strength but also confuse the enemy, so that other teams could lower their vigilance in order to be more cautious. Good to win the championship.

"As long as our record can confirm our entry into the playoffs in the end, that's all." Walton said.

"Okay coach, I agree with you, let's do what you said, and according to the current league's competition system, as long as the final regular season record remains in the top ten, there is hope, but to be on the safe side, we'd better It's better to stay in the top eight," Su Tian said.

Wharton also nodded and said, "Okay, let's do it like this."

So in the next few days, the Lakers' team training games were still focused on teamwork, and Walton paid more attention to some role players or substitute players.

Because according to the strategy discussed by the two people before, the main players in the new season must take frequent breaks. At this time, substitute players and role players need to step forward.

So Walton naturally paid more attention to these usually inconspicuous players.

After the player noticed the coach's gaze, he became more serious and worked hard. After all, this is the Lakers. As long as he can shine here, he will definitely get a big contract after he leaves!

Soon the time came to October 10, and the opening game of the 20-2021 season began!

It has to be said that the league's competition system is the same. The opening game in the East is scheduled for the Nets and Bucks.

This matchup has attracted a lot of attention, even more popular than the Western Conference championship team.

Even Su Tian wanted to watch this game in person.

The Western Conference has a lot less gunpowder and has arranged for the Warriors to be the Lakers' opponent in the opening game.

Originally, Su Tian thought the Lakers' opponent in the opening game would be the Clippers or the Suns.

But then Su Tian thought about it again and realized that the alliance was worthy of being an alliance, and it was most appropriate to arrange for the Warriors.

First of all, because Los Angeles has the Lakers, it really doesn't need the Clippers. Arranging the Warriors can actually attract another wave of attention in the Bay Area.

Moreover, the Warriors have not been strong in the past two years and have been keeping a low profile and will not really disrupt the Lakers' ring awarding ceremony.

Finally, Curry of the Warriors is very popular, not inferior to James at all, and second only to Su Tian.

Therefore, in the end, overall, the Warriors are undoubtedly the best candidate.

"I can only say that the alliance is worthy of being an alliance and is thoughtful."

While Su Tian was thinking, the ring awarding ceremony officially began.

As the team's star, Su Tian was naturally the last one to come out to receive the gift. When Su Tian came on the stage, bursts of cheers erupted from the Staples venue.

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

"Su Tian! Su Tian! Su Tian!"

"Lakers! Champions! Lakers! Champions!"

Looking at these enthusiastic fans, Su Tian's desire to win the championship became firm again. (End of chapter)