Los Angeles Lakers: Remembering Andrew Bynum
We take a trip down memory lane and revisit the career of former Los Angeles Lakers center, Andrew Bynum
Rewind back to 14 years ago in the summer of 2005, when the Los Angeles Lakers surprisingly had a lottery pick in the draft. Nobody knew who they were going to select with options like Fran Vazquez, Sean May, and Rashad McCants on the board. Instead, they selected a 17-year old kid straight out of high school from New Jersey by the name of Andrew Bynum.
Some were left shocked but without much promising talent on the board in a weak draft, it wasn’t a move that backfired. Only two of the top-10 picks selected before Bynum became stars. Both were point guards (Chris Paul/Deron Williams).
The Andrew Bynum pick came as a result of the Lakers most disappointing season (2004-05) in Kobe Bryant‘s era. Bryant did his part like always as he averaged 27.6 points and six assists.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have much help as the only reliable options on the roster were Caron Butler and Lamar Odom, who came to the Lakers in the Shaquille O’Neal trade that offseason. The Lakers won 34 games that season and went only 6-10 when Bryant was out.
To begin his Lakers career, Andrew Bynum had growing pains. Playing in LA as a young kid is no joke. One day they love you, the next day they hate you. As a rookie, he rarely played. Bynum played in only 46 games and averaged 1.6 points and 1.7 rebounds in only seven minutes.
Bynum used the offseason to work on his game and most importantly his conditioning. People forget that Bynum was only 18-years-old after his rookie season ended.
Once it was time for his second year, you can see an improvement. A few months into the season, Bynum ended up replacing Kwame Brown as the team’s starting center and the rest was history.
For the season, Bynum averaged 7.8 points and 5.9 rebounds in 22 minutes. His impact was largely felt on defense (1.6 bpg) where he changed shots every night.
One example of how much he had worked from year one to year two was at the free throw line. He went from shooting 30 percent to 67 percent in his second season.
Despite Bynum’s clear improvement as a player at such a young age, it wasn’t enough in the city with the brightest lights. During Bynum’s second season at the trade deadline, the Lakers turned down trade offers for him.
One of the offers the Lakers turned down was for star Jason Kidd. Bryant said “Are you kidding me?” Referring to the Lakers not shipping Bynum for such an accomplished athlete.
At the time it seemed like it would divide the Lakers locker room and be a mess that wouldn’t be cleaned up. Instead, it seemed to light a fire in Bynum, who became determined to become that force the Lakers needed at the moment. (That and working with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar).
In his third season, he averaged 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks. His season ended short after partially dislocating his left kneecap in a February game against Memphis. It was a big blow for the Lakers who went on to make the NBA Finals, thanks to the acquisition of Pau Gasol. The Lakers lost to Boston in six games. Had Bynum played, one can argue he would’ve been the difference.
For the next three seasons (2008-11), Andrew Bynum became a consistent big man who can affect the court on both ends. The problem was that he was constantly getting hurt. Bynum averaged 56 games played in the stretch. Not only was he missing games, but instead of playing 33-35 minutes, he was limited to 30 a night.
Despite injuries in 2009-10, Bynum helped the Lakers get two championships. He even played hurt against the Orlando Magic in 2009 NBA Finals, something that was needed against Dwight Howard, who was the most dominant center at the time.
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In the 2011-12 season, his final season in Los Angeles, it all came together for the 24-year-old. Bynum averaged 18.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks. It was by far his most complete season and it was evident that he would become one of the best centers in the league. Bynum not only made the All-Star game, but he was also selected to the All-NBA Second Team.
In the playoffs, Andrew Bynum showed his brilliance by posting a triple-double against the Nuggets in Game 1 of the opening round. Bynum had 10 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 blocks. He set a franchise playoff record in blocks and tied for most in NBA history with Mark Eaton and Hakeem Olajuwon.
After beating the Nuggets, the Lakers would go on to lose to the Thunder in five games in the Western Conference Semifinals.
It ended up being the last of Bynum in a Lakers uniform. The Lakers went on to trade him to the Philadelphia 76ers in a four-team deal that brought Howard to the Lakers.
He missed the entire 2012-13 season with arthroscopic surgery on both knees
Over the next two seasons, he played a combined 26 games. Bynum didn’t get big minutes but was still productive. He averaged 8.4 points and 5.3 rebounds with Cleveland in 2013-14.
The injuries caused him to retire from the league at the age of 26.
His career ended with a lot of questions.
“Did he even love basketball?”
“How great could have Bynum been?”
“Would the Lakers have won more rings, particularly in 2008?”
One thing is certain. Bynum did more than most to accomplish what many consider a successful career. He did this retiring before he even sniffed his prime. Bynum would’ve been a 20-10 guy for years to come and likely a Hall of Famer.
Next. 10 Greatest Centers In Lakers Franchise History. dark
All we can do now is reminisce the wonderful times, Andrew Bynum was a part of!