Though it may not sound like an intriguing idea to some, a Los Angeles Lakers reunion with Andre Drummond could help them solve some minor problems heading into next season. The Lakers were not a great rebounding team, and Drummond could help fix that, and adding a veteran presence to the center room would also be useful.
Drummond wouldn’t be the type of guy who would get minutes on a night-to-night basis. He would be more of a third-string center, ready to help mentor some of LA’s younger guys. It’s the exact type of problem that, while underrated, could still use patching up this summer.
Extra rebounding and extra center depth are both important, and Drummond could help solve both issues.
Andre Drummond could give Lakers ideal deep bench depth
The last time Drummond was in LA was during the 2020-212 campaign, when he was waived by the Cleveland Cavaliers and then signed by the Lakers for the rest of the season.
In his 21 games with the Lakers, all starts, Drummond averaged 11.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.0 blocks in 24.8 minutes of action. He shot 53.1% from the field.
Since then, Drummond has bounced around the NBA, but he’s spent the last two seasons as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. He will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and, in theory, the Lakers could add him on a minimum contract.
This past year, Drummond played 19.5 minutes per contest for the Sixers across 63 appearances, including 25 starts. He also added a three-ball to his repertoire, even if it was sparingly.
Drummond averaged 6.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while shooting 47.2% from the floor and 35.6% from deep range on 1.4 three-point attempts per contest.
Again, adding Drummond isn’t the big-swing move the Lakers need to make at the center position. He’s still only 32 years old, but he’s not a starter anymore. He may not even be a backup.
But the Lakers ran into big-man depth issues last season. They ran into rebounding woes. And they didn’t really have a veteran center (outside of Maxi Kleber) to help out the young guys.
Drummond could help solve all of those issues, and maybe even on a minimum contract. It’s an underrated problem, and though people may not be itching to have him back, he could provide an underrated solution.
He’s still a great rebounder, and he’s been around for a long time in the NBA. He could help the Lakers in a deep bench role.
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