Getty Los Angeles Lakers GM Rob Pelinka.
Even with the recent signing of Damian Jones, the Los Angeles Lakers could look to add size. Jones is only on a 10-day contract and got banged up in his first game with the team. It’s fair to question if he’ll stick with the team past 10 days.
Anthony Davis shouldn’t be out for too long but the Lakers could still want to upgrade their frontcourt. Marc Gasol is still a solid player but outside of him and Davis, the team doesn’t have a lot of size. According to Sam Amico of FortyEightMinutes, Andre Drummond could be on the Lakers’ radar.
“Along with the Knicks, Drummond continues to be linked to the Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers,” Amico wrote. “The Lakers and Dallas Mavericks are said to only be interested in the event Drummond hits the buyout market.”
The Lakers can’t feasibly trade for Drummond, which is why they’d have to target him on the buyout market.
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Drummond Has Major Hole in Game
Drummond is a very interesting player. He frequently puts up amazing numbers but his teams hardly ever win. He’s been elected to the All-Star team twice but he’s not considered one of the league’s elite players. A lot of that has to with the fact that his style is a bit antiquated.
He’s averaging 17.5 points a game with 13.5 rebounds. Those are excellent numbers for a center but he’s shooting 0% from the three. Unfortunately for players like Drummond, centers are expected to shoot these days, even if it’s just a little bit. Joel Embiid is shooting almost 42% from beyond the arc this season. Centers are shooting threes now and that’s what’s separating the good ones from the great ones.
Should Lakers Pursue Drummond?
Drummond is a good player and would likely help the Lakers on the defensive end. He’s highly productive and dominates the glass. However, adding him doesn’t fix the team’s biggest issue.
Any money the Lakers have needs to go to fixing their 3-point shooting. They are shooting 34.8% from three, which is 25th in the NBA. Adding Drummond would only make the team worse from beyond the arc. Plus, when Davis returns, the need for a player like Drummond isn’t really necessary. The Lakers likely are missing the size and athletism they had with JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard last season. Drummond would certainly fill the void left by those two, but it would be hard to afford him.
If the Lakers are going to make a move, they should be looking at shooters. They’ve been linked to Detroit Pistons guard Wayne Ellington. He’s one of the better shooters in the NBA and would be a very good addition. Trevor Ariza also makes sense. He’s a solid shooter and defender. The Lakers could be facing the Clippers in the players and need some more wing defense if they hope to stop Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.
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