Los Angeles Lakers: 50 Greatest Players in Lakers History (Updated 2023)
By Ed Schrenzel
Greatest Lakers of all time: 32- Andrew Bynum
- 7 seasons, 392 games, 2 titles
- 11.7 PPG
- 7.8 RPG
- 1.6 blocks
At his peak, which unfortunately lasted only a short time due to injury, Bynum was arguably the #1 or 2 center in the NBA.
Jim Buss took credit for drafting him directly out of high school. At first, Bynum appeared completely over-matched in the NBA. In his rookie season, he barely got off the bench, playing just 7 minutes per game.
He showed some improvement in his second year, averaging 7.8 points per game. But very few would have predicted the giant leap he’d take next- certainly not Kobe, who was caught in an off-court rant criticizing Lakers management for not trading Bynum for Jason Kidd when they seemingly had the chance.
In that third season Andrew blossomed, becoming a nearly unstoppable presence in the low post, averaging 13 points and 10 rebounds in just 29 minutes a game. He combined with Bryant and Lamar Odom to lead the surprising Lakers back into contention… until he suffered a devastating knee injury that caused him to miss most of the rest of the season.
He returned to contribute to both of the Lakers’ back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. Discounting his lost rookie year, he averaged 13.1 points and 8.7 rebounds, and in his peak 5 seasons the numbers rose to 14.2 and 9.2
Overall Bynum ranks 16th in RPG, 35th in PPG and 29th in total points and made 1 all-star team.