"Everyone should remember the five-man defensive lineup I led with the Raptors. This Lakers team may lack offensive firepower, but as long as they establish the right defensive attitude, they have more than enough to build a five-man defensive lineup."
At that moment, Paul and the other two coaches nodded excitedly.
They had originally thought this Lakers team had no future left.
Especially after Phil Jackson left, they had no idea where to begin.
They simply did not know how to lead the Lakers to improve their record, let alone make a push for the Playoffs.
But after these two quarters, they finally understood that the Lakers' path forward was now crystal clear.
Amid their surprise, they all looked toward Wang Yi.
Chris Paul thought to himself:
I used to think my Basketball IQ was about the same as Wang Yi's.
But when I was completely helpless about the Lakers' future, Wang Yi came back, immediately identified the key issue, and produced instant results.
There really is a gap between people in the end.
Rondo's thoughts happened to align perfectly with Chris Paul's.
He secretly thought:
I'm considered one of the highest Basketball IQ players in the league.
That iconic moment when I directed my teammates to defend empty space became something many fans talked about with relish.
But after taking over the Lakers, with the Lakers' main generals suffering one major injury after another, I was at my wits' end too. I had almost no hope for the Lakers' future.
Because anyone with eyes could see that this Lakers team had almost no hope this season. Yet the moment Wang Yi returned, he immediately identified the key point: build the team around defense.
Now, even the fourth-place Warriors in the West—their vaunted offense, their vaunted Future Basketball, their vaunted