Getty Andre Drummond defending Deandre Ayton.
The Los Angeles Lakers playoff debut for Andre Drummond has left a lot to be desired. He had a great Game 2 when he scored 15 points in a win. Outside of that game, he’s been largely nonexistent. He’s scored in single digits in each of the last three games.
Clearly, the chemistry with the team just isn’t there yet. Drummond’s been a good solider for the Lakers so far but frustration could be starting to seep in. The big man is accustomed to being one of the top options on the team that he’s on. That hasn’t been the case with the Lakers. Randomly, Drummond dropped a cryptic tweet on Wednesday telling “kids” to “control what you can control.”
Lol
Remember kids
“Control what you can control and let the rest take care of itself”🙏🏽
This could mean that Drummond got news that he’s not going to start in Game 6 on Thursday but we won’t know until the Lakers make an announcement. Regardless, it sounds like the center is getting frustrated. He should be as he isn’t playing very well right now. If Anthony Davis continues to miss time, Los Angeles needs Drummond to have a big game if they hope to keep playing.
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Lakers Hoping to Keep Drummond Long-Term
Drummond was an exciting addition when the Lakers signed him off the buyout market. The two-time All-Star has typically been an elite rebounder and a solid scorer. His rebounding is as strong as ever but he’s not scoring many points. At this point, it’s looking like the Drummond experiment has been a failure.
Despite that, the Lakers remain high on his potential with the team. In fact, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin recently revealed that the idea is that he’ll be with the team for a while.
“They’ve been so committed to him [Drummond] being the ceremonial starter, and obviously he gets more than just ceremonial minutes,” McMenamin said on The Lowe Post podcast. “But that seems to be something that is important to Drummond which makes it important to the Lakers front office because they have signaled to everyone listening that this isn’t just a half a season buyout market rental. Andre Drummond’s part of the future moving forward with this franchise.”
Could Drummond’s Struggles Change Lakers’ Mind?
The idea of keeping Drummond long-term sounded more appealing before he started struggling in the playoffs. Granted, he’s had little time to play with and build chemistry with and Dennis Schroder and LeBron James. Had he played the whole season with those two, he’d likely be more productive.
Whether or not he returns to the Lakers will depend on the price. The Lakers would be unwise to give Drummond anywhere close to the $25 million a year the Detroit Pistons gave him on his last contract. His price should be way down compared to that number. At most, the team should give him the $10 million a year they’re paying Montrezl Harrell. Drummond’s value in free agency has likely taken a hit so it’s possible that the Lakers will be able to keep him at around $10 million a year.
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