Essentially dominance is what separates Bynum from the guy who always pops up when fans clamor to use the young center as a trading chip, Dwight Howard. Well that and Howard has also successfully proved his body was made to endure the grind of an 82-game season. To be dominant, Bynum needs to only look to the players before him and morph those scraps into his own game.
For Bynum, it’s all going to begin and end on defense. He’s going to have to continue to work at grabbing rebounds, blocking shots, altering shots and preventing guards from weaving their way into the paint. Bynum understands that this is how he can benefit the team the most. Creating havoc in the paint for other teams will also have to come without bailing players out with tick-tack fouls. Understanding how to defend without becoming foul-prone is only half the battle in becoming a “sneaky defensive player,” as he put it.
During his exit interview, Bynum reflected on the Lakers lack of intense practices over the course of the season. He mentioned that they had all the tools to be a dominant defensive team, but couldn’t adjust accordingly during the playoffs leading to a second round exit via a sweep by the eventual 2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks. If Bynum plans on revving up the intensity at practice, he’ll need to stay in shape over the summer and come back with strong legs to withstand strenuous work outs.
Bynum also stressed wanting to become a bigger part of the team. While he didn’t specify whether he wanted to become more dominant defensively or more aggressive on offense, the implication was that he would work on refining his repertoire of skills on offense. He talked about building strong moves to break double-teams and continue to improve his ability to work in the post with his back to the basket.
“Big-man skills are not really being taught to young players,” said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. “Across the generations, they learn guard skills: dribbling, facing the basket. The emphasis is on the jump shot.”
Abdul-Jabbar’s assessment of centers today may be accurate, but when the Lakers acquired Bynum his talent was still raw, enabling them to mold him into the player he is today. Bynum doesn’t know any other organization other than the Lakers, his only coach Jackson. With Mike Brown taking on as head coach, under his tutelage Bynum could flourish into a defensive stopper reminiscent of Chamberlain and O’Neal. If he is also successful in building an efficient post game, coupled with Pau Gasol in the paint, he’ll be that much more of a headache for the opposing defenses.
For Bynum, it’s always been a matter of timing and staying healthy. He’s got the health part down, at least for now. All that’s left is to finally start realizing that potential Buss and Kupchak saw in him six years ago.
It’s now or never.
