It was very clear to the rest of the league that the Lakers were a completely different team without the presence of Anthony Davis, even with LeBron James still on the court. Take the latter out of the picture as well and the team has been exposed in every game. While Los Angeles has shown stretches of greatness in games without their two stars, they just aren’t the team to fear right now.
Without a clear cut star to help lead the team, the Lakers have slipped in the standings. Finding such an impact player was on Rob Pelinka’s mind as the team sought out the help of Andre Drummond after he was bought out by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Drummond made his Lakers debut on Wednesday and immediately made his presence known. Despite exiting the game early with a nagging toe injury that occurred after he was stepped on, the 27-year old proved to be what the Lakers have been missing. His ability to drive into the paint and draw all the attention led to the team making 8-13 of their three’s in the first quarter. Take into consideration that they went 2-23 the rest of the game and it’s pretty evident that Drummond needs to get back on the court asap.
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Not only does he bring a lot of offensive aid to the team, but he’s also a high quality defender. Frank Vogel spoke about what he saw from him in his limited action.
“You see the physical presence that he brings. The athleticism blocking shots at the rim, striping the basketball with his quick hands, and the ability to move his feet and contain while taking the big-shoulder contact and staying in there. He’s definitely going to help us on that side of the ball and we saw some it tonight.”
In spite of all the good he brings, Drummond’s injury is said to keep him out of game action for the next 1-2 contests. It’s nothing serious, but the Lakers aren’t about ready to throw him back out there and lose a third star this season. Just imagine what all three of them could do when they’re on the court together. Do I see another NBA title on the horizon?
