Andre Drummond
While Andre Drummond hasn’t exactly been All-Star Drummond so far for the Lakers this season, there have been enough flashes to see that he is going to be a really good player for the purple and gold moving forward.
Drummond arrived at the Los Angeles Lakers after he was bought out by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Playing for the Cavaliers (a team who for the foreseeable future is a lottery-bound team) can be detrimental to you as a player.
Drummond arrives in Cleveland, adds extra pounds, continues to lose games, and has the Cavs mismanage his minutes as they overstacked the center position.
Drummond had enough and finally was granted a buyout.
After a full-court press by the likes of Rob Pelinka, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis, Drummond agreed to join the Lakers and he couldn’t have arrived at a better time.
The Lakers when they get LeBron James and Anthony Davis back from their injuries are perfectly prepared for a deep playoff run.
With Davis and LeBron rested, you have two of the league’s elite superstars ready to destroy. You also get Drummond in the mix who is playing himself back into elite physical condition.
Drummond has the perfect amount of time to get his body right, to acclimatize to the Laker’s way of doing things, and continue to bless the Lakers with his skill set.
Few players in the NBA can rebound, block and affect shots as Drummond can.
With a healthy Drummond, you have an ideal player to run the pick and roll with Schröder. He allows for Davis to not have to crash the boards and protect his body as Drummond is one of the best rebounders in modern NBA history. He is also capable of scoring in bunches too which is a huge benefit.
Drummond might want to go elsewhere and get paid again after his time with the Lakers but there is a real chance that he takes a pay cut, even if it is just for next season so he can not only compete for titles but rebuild his value around the league.
Drummond should and probably will be the starting center for the Lakers next season and alongside Anthony Davis, Drummond could do wonderful things.