Ladies and gentlemen, as the playoffs go on so far, we should discuss some players who deserve apologies. Yes, you are right. Today's topic is the players we should apologize for. Some players are often criticized, but when they perform well, we should give them due praise. Therefore, I'm going to hold an apology conference for this article. You are also welcome to leave a message below, pointing out which player surprised you most in this year's playoffs, and see if you can find friends who share the same ideals.
The first player to be discussed must mention Carl Anthony Downes. This year's Downes is definitely not "soft candy", but "nougat" as hard as stone. Up to now, Downes has averaged 21 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists in the playoffs. This sounds good, but if you consider his shooting percentage, you will understand how amazing his performance is. As a fourth position that can open up space, Downes has a shooting percentage of 50% and a three-point shooting percentage of 40% in the playoffs. Such data performance is enough to prove his strength. This year's Downes not only brushed data on the court, but also scored steadily every time he handed the ball to him. There was almost no random shooting, which was a significant improvement compared with last year. This season, Carl Anthony Downes' real shooting rate reached 71.3%, ranking third in the whole league. In terms of his shooting volume and percentage of ball power, it's really amazing to get such data.
After talking about offense, let's discuss his defense. Many people used to laugh at Carl Anthony Downes' defensive ability, but this year his defensive performance was excellent. In the first round against KD, and in the second round against Nikolay Jokic, in the case of such a heavy offensive role, Downes is still able to match the other side's core star on the defensive end, and such players are impeccable. People watching the game of the Timberwolves know that once entering the playoffs, Downes plays an increasingly important role in defense. Coach Chris Finch trusted his single defense ability, and he also tried his best to limit opponents. From the data point of view, Downes' single defense ability is far beyond people's expectations. His defense efficiency data (Diff%) is - 6.5%, that is, when facing Downes' defense, the average hit rate drops by 6.5%. Suppose that a forward with a 45% shooting rate will drop to 39% against Downes. Such defensive ability makes him a big lock this season. No matter from which angle, attack, defense or attitude on the court, this year's Downes is impeccable. If you continue to call him "soft candy", I can only say: Wake up, it is 2024 now.
The second person you may need to apologize to is Donovan Mitchell. From the performance of the past two years, Donovan Mitchell appeared to be powerless in the playoffs. For two consecutive seasons, his outside shooting rate was only about 20%, and both of them were out in the first round. Such performance naturally made people lose confidence in him.
However, by 2024, everything will be different. This year's Donovan Mitchell performed well in the playoffs, leading the Cavaliers to defeat the Magic, which can almost be said to be his own strength. Donovan Mitchell averaged 28 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in the face of top defender Jeren Saggs. Although the outside line is still unstable, his total hit rate has reached 45%. The most important thing is that he led the team to win, breaking the curse of first round exit. Therefore, it is reasonable to include Donovan Mitchell in this list of apologies. What impressed me most was Donovan Mitchell's reversal performance in Game 7 against Orlando. He fell behind significantly in the first half, but he did not give up in the second half and led the team to complete the counter attack. This attitude is worthy of respect. Even if he was eliminated by Celtics, Donovan Mitchell has erased the stigma of the past two years.
Then the third player who needs to apologize is AD. I know many people will question that the Lakers were swept in the playoffs, and Davis disappeared every time in the fourth quarter. How can we need to apologize? Please take it easy. I understand that many people may not agree with the performance of AD in this year's playoffs. After all, the Lakers were eliminated in an ugly way. However, I want to ask simply, who thinks the Lakers can advance? No normal thinking person would think that the Lakers can beat the Nuggets. Therefore, the result itself can be ignored.
I think we should apologize for questioning Davis' playoff dominance and calling Nicola Jokic his "father". After the playoffs last year, many people, including some well-known commentators, doubted the stability of Davis and thought that his performance fluctuated. However, Davis has performed very well in this year's playoffs, and some people even think that he has surpassed James to become the first brother. This is a controversial topic, but I personally think that from the first round alone, AD's performance is better than James's. In terms of statistics, who is the Lakers' leading scorer in the playoffs? It is AD. Who is the best rebounder on the team? Or AD. Whose scoring efficiency is higher? It is still AD. Whose positive and negative values are better? It is also AD. From the performance of this year's playoffs, it is unfair to say that AD is always the "second child" beside James.
On the scoring end alone, he and Nikolai Jokic had equal performances. Of course, some people will say that James is scoring at the critical moment, but this is actually the problem of the Lakers coaching team. If you watch the game carefully, you will find that the Lakers coach often keeps AD at the bottom corner in the second half. No matter how good his first half feel, the coach will confiscate his ball right. If the Lakers can change a normal coach, I believe that AD will perform better in the fourth quarter. Davis scored 27 points and 15 rebounds with a 60% shooting rate, which is absolutely qualified as a brother. The current public opinion does not respect AD enough, and his performance in this year's playoffs has been underestimated by many people.
These are the top five apology lists that I have strictly selected since the playoffs. I wonder who is on this list? Welcome to leave a message and tell me.
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