What the Los Angeles Lakers need the most moving forward
By Ed Schrenzel
Andre Drummond
Cleveland has been shopping the 27-year-old 6-10 center. But they haven’t yet found a legitimate taker due in large part to his $28.7 million contract, which expires at the end of the season. There has been rampant speculation that the team will reach a buyout with him, making him a free agent.
On the surface, Drummond looks like a desirable pick-up. He’s averaging 17.5 points and 13.5 rebounds this year, numbers that are consistent with his career stats. But dig down deeper and you have to wonder how much he’d truly help.
Drummond’s shooting range is limited to within five feet of the basket. And despite taking all his shots in close, his field goal percentage is only 47% this season. That pales in comparison to the Lakers Montrezl Harrell, who’s shooting 63%.
Drummond takes 15 shots to score his 17.5 points, not particularly impressive for a big guy. He’s also converting only 60% of his free throws.
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As a rim protector, Drummond blocks 1.2 shots in 29 minutes per game. The much-maligned Marc Gasol blocks 1.3 shots in 20 minutes. Even the under-sized Harrell blocks 0.8 shots in 24 minutes- and he also is among the leader in taking charges in the paint. Drummond is not regarded as a good man defender and does not switch well off pick and rolls.
In his eight previous seasons, Drummond’s teams have made the playoffs just twice. Now of course it takes more than one man for a team to experience success, but how much of a difference-maker as he proved himself to be?
The reality is that Drummond is somewhat of a dinosaur, a throwback player to the days of yesteryear when teams dumped the ball into the low post and watched the big guy do his thing. As everyone knows, the game has changed, and centers no longer rule the league.
Back in 2015, when the Lakers had the second pick in the draft, they recognized this truism, and passed on taking center Jahlil Okafor in favor of guard D’Angelo Russell. If they were to sign Drummond now, he might add something on the edges but he won’t be the reason they successfully defend their title.