Los Angeles Lakers: 3 big men besides DeMarcus Cousins to pursue
2. Andre Drummond
The Los Angeles Lakers would add a third all-star to the starting lineup
Despite him being a possible buyout candidate and having plenty of critics, Drummond has put three 20 point and 20 rebound games this season in a Cavaliers uniform. Yet one advance scout in the league was quoted as saying:
I will go back to what an NBA advance scout who I greatly respect told me of Andre Drummond
— Doug Smith: Raptors (@SmithRaps) February 15, 2021
"He can get you 30-20 and have no impact on the game"
But if the Lakers can get their hands on a player that can score 30 and grab 20 boards then they need to go after him, no matter how empty his stats supposedly are. If a guy like Howard can revive his career playing in a similar role, then there is no reason why a younger Drummond can not do the same thing for his career playing in the purple and gold.
The Lakers need a guy to set hard screens and be a legit threat to finish at the rim, and if anything, Drummond can certainly still fill that role on a team. He also has never been in a scenario where he has been surrounded by elite talent or on a team with any playoff expectations, and with that new setting he might revamp his game.
He is also a factor on the glass, ranking second in the league in rebounding with 13.5 boards a game. Where he might not be as much of a factor as one would think would be in the interior blocking shots where he only ranks 34th in the league with 1.2 blocks per game, for comparison Marc Gasol is 22nd in the league with 1.3 blocks per game.
Drummond is only 27 years old; he has been an All-Star two times and has led the league in rebounding 4 times. He seems like the perfect candidate to take a flyer on when the Lakers are a team in win-now mode that lacks a big man with solid athleticism.