Counterproductive effect! The Lakers actually allowed their new backcourt players to mess around in the last quarter?

In a previous NBA preseason game, the Dallas Mavericks made a strong effort in the final quarter and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers at home 121-94. After this game, the Mavericks' record in the preseason improved to 3 wins and 1 loss, while the Lakers' record in the preseason dropped to 1 win and 4 losses.

In this game, the performance of the Lakers' new backup backcourt player Nick Smith Jr. was astonishing. Smith played 24 minutes and 33 seconds, shooting 3 of 10 from the field and 2 of 6 from beyond the three-point line. He only scored 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block. He also had 3 turnovers and 2 fouls. His plus-minus value was as low as -23. Smith's touch on the offensive end is not ideal. He takes a lot of shots, but there are still big problems with his shot selection. He also lacks stable offensive methods, and his ability in passing and organization is also very limited. Not only that, Smith's performance on the defensive end is also very average, and he also has no way to play a greater role on the defensive end. Of course, Smith's playing time basically overlaps with the team's second team players, and some of his teammates may not appear in the NBA in the new season. In this case, Smith has to take on more responsibilities, which is one of the reasons for his inefficiency and poor performance.

Smith was born in April 2004. He is 21 years old, 188cm tall and weighs 84kg. He is a backcourt player from the University of Arkansas selected by the Hornets with the 27th pick in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft. In the NBA regular season last season, Smith played a total of 60 times, averaging 22.8 minutes per game. He averaged 9.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game. He also had 1.4 turnovers and 1.3 fouls. He shot 39.1% from the field, 34% from the three-point range, and 93.5% from the free throw line. In the NBA Development League last season, Smith played a total of 8 times on behalf of the Greensboro Swarm, a subsidiary of the Hornets, averaging 33 minutes per game. He averaged 23 points, 4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. He also had 2.2 turnovers and 2.1 fouls. He shot 42.4% from the field, 35.5% from the three-point range, and 93.8% from the free throw line.

So far in the preseason, Smith has played a total of 5 times, averaging 15.3 minutes per game. He averages 7.6 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 0.4 blocks per game. He also has 1 turnover and 1.4 fouls. His shooting percentage is 42.4%, 31.3% from three-point range, and 62.5% from free throws. Smith's performance during the preseason cannot be considered without highlights. He can still play some role in scoring. However, apart from scoring, his abilities in other aspects are indeed relatively limited, and he really cannot take on more other tasks. The Lakers actually have some problems with the use of Smith. When Smith plays with such limited teammates, his shortcomings in passing and organization as well as his deficiencies on the defensive end will be amplified. In fact, it is certainly a good thing to give young players more playing time and training opportunities, but training Smith like the Lakers do seems to have the opposite effect.