Lakers: Anthony Davis and Andre Drummond pairing has a significant hole

To no one’s surprise, the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers were major winners in the controversial buyout market in late March. With LeBron James and Anthony Davis sidelined, the Lakers were able to bolster their frontline by acquiring All-Star center Andre Drummond from the Cleveland Cavaliers. The best part? Drummond is playing on the team primarily on the Cavs’ dime.

With Davis now back in the fold, Drummond and Davis have established themselves as the premier frontcourt in the NBA this season. Despite the no-brainer move to compete with the star power of the Brooklyn Nets, many may be overlooking the potential consequences of this move.

In the era of super teams, we often look to the teams that are best on paper when it comes to picking a title favorite. While teams like the Nets and Lakers certainly possess multiple prime-time stars, are we beginning to overlook chemistry?

While the Nets have three scorers and playmakers that are capable of sharing the ball and spacing the floor, the Lakers have built a front line eerily similar to one of the most upsetting teams in the franchise’s history: the 2004 Lakers.

After their three-year title run came to an end in 2003, the Lakers retooled by pairing an aging Karl Malone with Shaquille O’Neal. While Malone was certainly a better power forward than Robert Horry, the move overlooked one important ingredient to the team’s past successes: floor spacing.

Although Hall of Famer Karl Malone has numerous individual accomplishments under his belt, he was no match for the perfect complement that was Robert Horry. While Malone may be second on the all-time scoring list, a former MVP, and a perennial all-star, he lacked the thing that made Horry the perfect fit: An outside shot.

Whether it was alongside Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal, or later Tim Duncan in the 2005 season, Horry’s ability to give his all-star teammates room to operate in the post revolutionized basketball.

As we flash forward to the 2020s, nearly every team in the league boasts a starting lineup with at least four deadly three-point shooters.

Unfortunately, the Los Angeles Lakers may be living in the past.

Sharpshooter Marc Gasol has been reduced to the bench, only adding to old-school lineup the Lakers have. Despite his image as a lethal midrange shooter, Anthony Davis has been abysmal from outside of the paint this season. From 15-19 feet, he shoots under 35 percent from the field. From 20-24 feet? 35.3 percent. When operating from 25 feet and beyond, he shoots a dismal 16.7 percent.

As one might expect, Drummond is much worse. His 23 percent shooting from 15-19 feet renders him virtually useless away from the basket. In fact, he has a virtually non-existent sample size from 20 feet and beyond.

Although I will be the first to praise the entertainment value of the old-school style of play, bigs that can protect the basket, and establishing a rhythm through the low post, I fear that these skills are not rewarded in the modern NBA.

If the Lakers are to make a Drummond and Davis pairing work, they need to be a force on the glass (where they barely crack the top 10 currently) and at the rim (where they rank 8th).

With a calf injury and a role that will push him further from the basket, Anthony Davis will have to find his jump shot soon to coexist with Drummond. Additionally, he will have to find a way to revitalize one of his greatest strengths from last season: getting to the free-throw line.

Coach Frank Vogel will certainly have his work cut out for him as he tries to balance a deep front-line rotation that also boasts Marc Gasol and former sixth man of the year Montrezl Harrell. Finding the correct rotation may be crucial for the Lakers to have any chance of repeating in a season that is slowly slipping away.