Getty Los Angeles Lakers center Andre Drummond.
When the Los Angeles Lakers signed Andre Drummond, there was a lot of hype. The two-time All-Star appeared to fill a need for a more athletic center and he was probably the best available free agent. He’s certainly had moments where he’s played at a high level but the returns have been disappointing overall since he joined the team.
He possibly had his worst game as a Laker on Monday against the Denver Nuggets. For the first time this season, he had a game with zero rebounds and only scored four points. Considering LeBron James was out due to injury, the team needs a lot more from him. Lakers fans were really excited about the Drummond signing but they’ve already begun to turn on him. A lot of fans had some choice words for the center during his performance on Monday.
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What doesn’t help Drummond is the fact that Marc Gasol is playing at a high level again. Prior to the signing, the veteran big man wasn’t making much of an impact. That was a big reason why they targeted Drummond. Now he’s starting to play like the Gasol everybody remembers and that’s leading to fans wanting to see the former Defensive Player of the Year get more minutes.
Even non-Laker fans chimed in on Drummond’s struggles.
Cavs and Pistons fans watching Lakers fans turn on Andre Drummond:
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Having LeBron Back Will Help Drummond
It’s clear that Drummond was hurt by the fact that LeBron and Dennis Schroder weren’t playing on Monday. The Lakers don’t have a great offensive option at point guard while both of them are out. Drummond actually looked pretty solid in the two games he played with LeBron this season. He put up 17 against the Sacramento Kings and then 19 against the Toronto Raptors.
“He makes the game very easy,” Drummond said of LeBron, via Silver Screen & Roll. “I feel like he sees everything like a quarterback. So having him out there is a really fun, you know it’s my first game being on the same side as him. It was definitely a great learning experience for me, and I’m looking forward to building better things.”
LeBron has a knack for improving players around him. As an old-school center, Drummond is especially reliant on having a good distributor. He’s struggling right now but he’s not the Lakers’ biggest issue. He’s a skilled player and should figure out things as time goes on.
Anthony Davis & Drummond Still Have Things to Work Out
A key to the Lakers’ success going forward is to make sure that Drummond and Anthony Davis figure out how to play together. Their the team’s two starting bigs and their chemistry is very important. They haven’t figured things out quite yet but Drummond believes they’re on the right track.
“I mean we’ve showed glimpses of how good we can be defensively, it’s just getting that time on the floor,” Drummond said. “I think once we have a steady lineup and rotation I think offensively and defensively, we’ll figure it out.”
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