Los Angeles Lakers’ stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis will likely not see the court for a little while longer as they recover from separate injuries. When they do return though, they’ll have a brand new teammate in Andre Drummond.
Drummond recently signed with L.A. for the remainder of the season after being bought out by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Drummond will be able to play in several games before either player comes back, which should help him get acclimated to the Lakers’ defensive system. His role on the Lakers should be to play defense, grab rebounds and score easy baskets at the rim. He’ll be most effective at that once James and Davis are back in action.
The new Lakers big man believes that he, James and Davis will be able to maximize each other’s games. “For me, I’m just here to help in any capacity,” Drummond said.
“I’m not here to do anything besides win, so I think playing with those guys can really benefit my game. Be able to allow them to play their game and have a third person to cause havoc in the paint.”
In addition to the problems he causes opponents down low, he also wants to be the person who can take some pressure off of Davis as he slowly eases his way back to full strength. “I think with me coming here, AD can slide to the four and play his true position and be very good at it without taking all the bumps and bruises that I do at the five. So I’m looking forward to having that tandem with him, being on the same court as him.”
Drummond was perhaps the best player on the buyout market, especially when considering what the Lakers needed. Them grabbing him is huge for their chances to contend for a championship this season.
If L.A. can get Drummond to buy in to a more limited role than he’s used to, then this could be a mutually beneficial partnership the way it was for Dwight Howard in 2020.
Drummond reminisces on old tweet about wanting to play with James
In 2011, Drummond fired off a tweet about wanting to play with or against James at some point in his career. Now that he’s chosen that opportunity, he was able to reflect on that thought.
one of my goals In life Is to meet an play with or against @KingJames
— Andre Drummond (@AndreDrummond) August 11, 2011
“It’s funny about that tweet because when it came out I was actually sitting out with my best friend he’s like, ‘Yo, remember the day you tweeted this?’ It was the day before I went to UConn. Just for it to come back full circle and have the opportunity to do it, it’s crazy how time works.”
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