Although King Arthur was still the Lakers' nominal leader, he was also the team's leading scorer, averaging 35.3 points per game.
Wang Yi was another year older, but he was still averaging 30 points this season.
Compared with last season, his average hadn't changed at all.
Even though he was a year older, his play style had shifted since joining the Lakers. He mostly waited in the corner, occasionally taking a three.
He only really took over when the team faced a crucial moment.
Besides, the Lakers had King Arthur, Rivers, and Doncic, so the opponents often focused their defensive pressure on them.
Wang Yi's habit of staying in the right corner often lulled the opposing team into a false sense of security.
What surprised people was that this kind of play style usually didn't yield many points.
But Wang Yi made it incredibly efficient—more so than when he used to handle the ball himself.
He didn't seem to take many shots, yet when the game was over, he'd usually finished with around 30 points.
It was truly astonishing.
Everyone on the Lakers knew that Wang Yi was, in fact, the heart of the team.
Whether it was in crucial moments on the court or in the way he helped players with their lives off it, Wang Yi clearly did more than King Arthur.
King Arthur was the kind of player who held his teammates to very high standards and usually wore a stern expression.
Wang Yi, on the other hand, often joked around with his teammates and got along with everyone. He regularly joined them for meals, so the players naturally felt closer to him.
As a result, from the coaches and managers down to the bench players, everyone's heart was really with Wang Yi.
King Arthur wasn't happy