Getty Andre Drummond, Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are in the market for new role players, specifically ones that can impact winning on both ends of the floor and have a reputation for remaining healthy throughout the season.
One former Laker who is hitting the free agency market is Andre Drummond, after spending the final part of this past season with the Brooklyn Nets. The rebounding machine will be looking for a team that trusts in his ability to control the glass off the bench, but judging by his comments during a recent interview, we’re probably not going to see him back in Los Angeles.
Andre Drummond on his time with the Lakers:
“You got to be built differently to play for that organization.”
“Yeah the Lakers is exactly what you think it is man, you gotta be built differently to play for that organization, you gotta be mentally strong not only on the court but off the court too because there are so many expectations to being a Laker and putting that purple and gold on because if you ain’t living up to expectations they will let you know you ain’t worthy enough to put on that jersey,” Drummond said, as reported by Tyler Greenawalt of Yahoo Sports.
Of course, the former Detroit Pistons standout is speaking from experience after his own run-ins with the Lakers fanbase, however, during his 25 games in the purple and gold Drummond averaged 11.9 points and 10.2 rebounds on 53.1% shooting, but his inability to defend pick-and-rolls and play at a high paced seemed to irk some supporters and saw his tenure in Los Angeles cut short.
Drummond is Advocating for Himself
Throwback big men are no longer in demand around the league. The NBA has shifted towards a skill-based game, and a floor-spacing center is far more important to the modern brand of offense than a hulking back-to-the-basket type center such as Drummond.
As such, the six-foot-ten big man has been advocating for himself on social media, sharing his statistics, noting how his impact has been beneficial to the teams he’s played on and pointing to his time spent backing up Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid.
Andre Drummond on his IG Story 👀
Despite the Lakers needing to revamp their roster, and Drummond’s ability to provide their offense with multiple second-chance points, it’s unlikely we see the big man entertain a return in the upcoming free agency period.
Westbrook can Understand Drummond’s Comments
Since joining the Lakers, Russell Westbrook has struggled to prove his worth to the fanbase. Sure, part of the star guards’ struggles are due to former head coach Frank Vogel playing him in a role that didn’t suit his skill set, but the other part is that Westbrook often looked disinterested when on the court.
Lakers fans expect total effort, regardless of if your shot’s falling or not, and irrespective of how the team is performing in the moment. So, it’s safe to assume that the star guard has the same opinion on playing in Tinsletown as Drummond and that neither would be quick to recommend heading out West.
The Lakers plan to keep Russell Westbrook. LA refuses to give up “additional assets” to send him out, per @TheSteinLine
Westbrook is expected to exercise his $47M player option for next season
Still, Marc Stein recently reported that the Lakers plan to retain Westbrook heading into next season, so there is still time for the former MVP to change the minds of the fanbase and turn his stay on the Golden Coast into a success – but a large part of that will be down to how Darvin Ham intends to utilize him moving forwards.