2. The Los Angeles Lakers don’t need Andre Drummond to be a big offensive threat
This is important to remember. It is easy to hone in on Drummond’s play right now because he is the new kid on the block and is the biggest name playing for these banged-up Los Angeles Lakers.
The reality of the situation is that the Lakers don’t need him to be a big offensive threat. He does not even have to be the third scorer, or fourth, or fifth. While he will obviously be in the mix on certain nights, the Lakers have plenty of offensive options.
LeBron and AD are obviously the 1-2 and will be worth 60 points a night in the playoffs. Next is Dennis Schroder, who should be good for 12-15 a night in the playoffs. Montrezl Harrell will get his 12-15 off the bench and Kyle Kuzma could even give the Lakers 10-14 points off the bench in the playoffs.
That is already 94-104 points accounted for. Granted, every night is going to be different, but those guys are going to be the five that produce the most offense. That is not Drummond’s role with this team.
Drummond is in LA to protect the rim and give the Lakers someone who is more consistent in finishing at the basket when needed and rebounding the basketball. He is not here to score 15 points a night. He is here to get 8-10 points and 10-12 rebounds.
In fact, I would argue that the fewer points Andre Drummond scores the better. If we look back at the 2021 NBA Playoffs and Drummond is averaging 16+ points a game then that probably means the Lakers never got healthy.