Los Angeles Lakers: Top 3 centers of the 2010s

1. Andrew Bynum 2010-12

The easiest choice on this list goes to Andrew Bynum and it’s a shame that Lakers fans didn’t get to see him in purple and gold longer. He won two rings in Los Angeles at the end of the 2000’s decade and had so much talent on both ends of the floor. He displayed it in Los Angeles before injuries and problems on and off the court hurt his career.

2011-12 was Bynum’s best season statistically as a professional as he averaged 18.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. It would be the only All-Star game of his career that he would make. He capped the season off by being named to the All-NBA second team.

2010-11 Bynum’s advanced stats were the best of the 2010’s decade. His offensive rating was 107 and his defensive rating was 99.6, good for a +7.4 net-rating. His eFG% was second-highest of his career and TS% was third-highest of his career, he was very efficient in his 54 games played.

Bynum had all the tools to be a dominant center for a long time. The Lakers don’t have two rings without him in the middle and his play when on the floor always had the Lakers up there offensively and defensively. Health always seemed to bite him as he only was healthy for the entire season once in his career.

With what he did for the Lakers during his time he landed at number one. The “what if’s” will always play a big factor with him in Los Angeles.

But still, with how dominant he was in those two years at times, he earns the number one spot on this list. As the 2010’s decade concludes, the Lakers didn’t have a steady presence at the five. Cheers to that changing in the 2020s.