It was by far one of the best moves in the NBA when the Los Angeles Lakers acquired center Andre Drummond. He surely made the right choice spurning other teams and signing with them as his presence was drastically needed as he has been a wonderful fit for the team.
As many would agree, he was exactly what the Lakers needed, especially with not getting the proper big man support from veteran center Marc Gasol. In fact, with Drummond here, it has actually been better for Gasol as he has come off the bench to be a decent reserve.
In his short time with the Lakers, Andre Drummond has already had eight games in which he has scored and rebounded in double digits. This again has made things better for them as he has been a very intense presence for the Lakers, giving them a legitimate big man in the middle. This, of course, will come up huge in the playoffs.
One of the great things about having Drummond is that it will help the Lakers have the edge when it comes to a big man presence if and when they face certain teams in the playoffs. The teams that are lacking in that area are the Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, and Portland Trail Blazers.
Those teams do not really possess a legit threat in the middle that can score, rebound, and play defense. Another good thing is when and if they do play teams with legit big men, such as the Denver Nuggets, having Drummond will only make it better for the Lakers as he will help defend opposing big men that are threats.
Even if his scoring dips a bit in the playoffs, especially with LeBron coming back as he and AD may do a lot more of the scoring as well as others, Drummond can clean up under the boards and with defense. He will only make things better for the team on both ends of the floor. In the clutch, he is a guy the Lakers definitely need smack down in the middle to help against opposing players that will be penetrating the lane.
It is scary to think that he is still very immature within the Lakers system and has more work to do and this will only get better for him as well as the team, making them a more solidified group among the other teams.
The Los Angeles Lakers need him to clang and bang as much as possible and clear those boards and block shots when he can. On offense, he can also help to generate attention from other teams as he can score. This will be big for the Lakers come crunch time.