Lake Show Life
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Los Angeles Lakers: What’s really going on with Andre Drummond

By Ronald Agers

MIAMI, FL - APRIL 08: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Miami Heat blocks the shot attempt by Andre Drummond #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half of the game at American Airlines Arena on April 8, 2021 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - APRIL 08: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Miami Heat blocks the shot attempt by Andre Drummond #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half of the game at American Airlines Arena on April 8, 2021 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images) /
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Andre Drummond
Los Angeles Lakers Andre Drummond (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /

The Knicks and  Hornets watched the bad Nets defense on Andre Drummond and made adjustments!

When Andre Drummond put on his own promotional showcase against the Brooklyn Nets this past weekend, he didn’t just introduce himself to the casual NBA fan, but the rest of the NBA as well.

As the sports media is known to do, they made Drummond’s performance to be a little bit bigger than it may have been. Some other scenarios played into his 20 point 11 rebound performance.

https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1381678525015490560

What was those scenarios?

  1. The Brooklyn Nets took the Lakers lightly and got spanked.
  2. The Nets never sent a double team to get the ball out of Dre’s hands all night.
  3. The Lakers went crazy (Most notably Ben McLemore!) from behind the 3 point line.
  4. Dennis Schroder carved up the Nets defense and got to the rim scoring at will.
  5. Sadly, it turned out that LaMarcus Aldridge was playing with a serious health issue that forced him to immediately retire. 

After that game, Andre Drummond was introduced to the top of the scouting report of the Knicks and the Hornets.

Tom Thibodeau and James Borrego did a much better job of preparing their teams than Steve Nash.

Both coaches planned defensive schemes making sure Andre Drummond would be facing double teams from different angles and forcing the shooters to beat them from the outside.

Against the Knicks, Drummond touched the ball with two to three Knick players forcing him to make decisions to pass the ball. It disjointed the offense and was a major part in the 24 turnovers that led to 29 New York points. Not only did Dre score only 3 points in the game but he took only three shots. While the big man was struggling, the 3 point shooting was awful in the loss.

The Hornets applied the same defensive principles by doubling Drummond in the post early not allowing him to get in a offensive rhythm. He got frustrated with foul trouble and finished with only 4 points. The Lakers won the game shooting well enough from the 3 point line featuring a huge shot from Alex Caruso late.

https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1382157025136631812

The challenge going forward for the Lakers is that the NBA is a copycat league and Drummond’s weaknesses are being scouted. Jazz coach Quin Snider, and Mavs coach Rick Carlisle had to have seen what the previous coaches, Tom Thibodeau and James Borrego did to shut down the effectiveness of Andre Drummond in the low post.

Frank Vogel has to adjust to put Andre in positions where he can succeed.

Lake Show Life believes Andre Drummond will be fine. Despite all of the adjustments he’s going through, he still had double figures in rebounding the last two games and had some huge defensive plays to stop the Hornets run late. Sometimes it take one player that really understands the process to break things down. 

That player is Kyle Kuzma. Read on to see how it does it.

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