Was Signing Andre Drummond The Right Decision For Los Angeles Lakers?

A couple of months back, the NBA buyout market was super active. A lot of these players joined the Brooklyn Nets, and the Los Angeles Lakers could just watch them getting stronger. So in order to combat them, they also chose the same method to bring in Andre Drummond.

Four-time rebounds leader and two-time All-Star, Drummond arrived with an impressive resume. Since his sophomore season in the NBA, he became a double-double machine for the Pistons. He was a franchise star until he was surprisingly traded to the Cavaliers last season. After they brought in Jarrett Allen, the Cavs didn’t want Drummond anymore and eventually he got his buyout.

The Nets were also interested in bringing him in, but the prospect of teaming up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis was too good to resist for Drummond. So he arrived in LA on March 28, aiming to help the Lakers become contenders again. But his impact on the team since his arrival has been far from what the Lakers would have expected.

A recent stat showed how the Lakers are 32-19 when Drummond hasn’t played and they are only 5-11 when he plays. Although that doesn’t tell the full story, Lakers fans are disappointed by him.

Andre Drummond needs to repay the faith shown by the Lakers

The biggest concern about Drummond was his production on offense. Although 53% would be a good field goal percentage for any other play, most of Drummond’s attempts are inside the paint. He is only averaging 57.7% from less than five feet since he arrived in LA. In comparison, other paint beasts like Bam Adebayo and Rudy Gobert average 69.2% and 82.2% over this stretch.

Drummond is currently playing ahead of Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell. Gasol can not only defend better but also space the floor. Meanwhile, Harrell is a better post scorer and shows a lot more hustle.

The former UConn star has had glimpses of promise too. He led the Lakers to a superb upset win over the Nets, where he finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds. He was able to bully the Nets, and that is what the Lakers want him to do more often.

He is yet to get considerable game time alongside both Anthony Davis and LeBron James, so Vogel will hope the trio can play together before playoffs begin. The Lakers need them to have good chemistry in order to stand a chance at winning the title.

ALSO READ – Unique Stat Forecasts How LeBron James Led Lakers Are Unlikely to Win 2021 NBA Championship