Andrew Bynum On Pace To Be Starting In All-Star Game
The coronation of Andrew Bynum’s arrival as an elite center will be February 26th when he steps onto the court in Orlando as a starter for the Western Conference All-Star team. Currently Drew is running away with the vote for the center position. Unless (knocking on wood here) an injury occurs then Bynum will be making his NBA All-Star debut in just over a month.
As it stands, Bynum has received over 700,000 votes. His next closest competitor is DeAndre Jordan who has just over 200,000 votes to his name.
Without a doubt Bynum is playing at a level well above all other centers in the Western Conference. Of course you can count on one hand how many true centers there are in the game today. None the less, Bynum’s game is finally reaching the level expected when he inked his huge contract.
In an era when big men are being coached to face up instead of playing with their backs to the hoop, Bynum is the rarest of all commodities in the NBA.
Recently TNT analyst Shaquille O’Neal called Bynum the best center in the game. Shaq’s contention (which you won’t see argued here) is that unlike Dwight Howard, Bynum has a true low post arsenal and plays like a classic big. You won’t catch Drew trying to do any work more than 12 feet from the hoop. He gets to his spot in the paint and doesn’t concede an inch like a true center should.
With his rebounding numbers finally reflecting his skill on the boards the next step for Drew to take would be to get more consistent on the offensive end. Playing with both Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol makes it difficult for Bynum to get off as many shots as you’d need to drop 20 a night but there is no doubt he has the talent to do so.