It’s no secret that the term “underachiever” and Lamar Odom have found each other in the same sentence quite a few times over the past decade. The pressure to reach his full potential heightened even more when Lamar was dealt to the Lakers in the infamous Shaq trade. He was expected to be Kobe’s new sidekick – his Scottie Pippen. Although he has averaged nearly a double-double over his six seasons in Los Angeles, Lamar has often found himself in the middle of trade rumors that had him replaced with a more “suitable” sidekick for Kobe.
I’ll admit, I was very critical of Lamar during his first three or four seasons playing for the Purple and Gold; I too had him as the centerpiece of trades that brought Jason Kidd, Kevin Garnett, Carlos Boozer and dare I say, Jermaine O’Neal, to the Lakers. However, it wasn’t until the arrival of Pau Gasol and Lamar’s assumption of the sixth-man role, that I truly realized his value to the Lake Show.
Lamar’s worth may not come in the form of a top five player or an annual member of the Western Conference All-Star team that his talent might allow him to be; however, he’s unquestionably become an invaluable member of the Lakers during their current journey for a three peat.
We can continue to say that he has the physical gifts to be one of the league’s best players or that his full potential will never be reached, but it’s more important to cherish what the Lakers do have, instead of what’s missing. What the Lakers possess is a player who, at six-feet-ten-inches can play all five positions on the floor, crash the boards like it’s nobody’s business and become a leader that is capable of bringing the team up when they are down.
Next: The Captain of the Bench Mob
By no means is Lamar’s position as the Lakers’ sixth man a demotion; it was simply the perfect role for him. As sixth man, he still receives starter’s minutes and is often in the lineup during a game’s most crucial moments; however, he it has also released him of the pressure to consistently be the team’s second scoring option behind Kobe. Instead, he gets to be the player that fits HIS mentality, which is a playmaker.
If you watch Lamar play, it’s clear that he is playing his best when he is creating for others and letting his offense come to him. His potential could have him scoring 25 points a night, but that’s simply not who Lamar is – and nobody should expect him to be a player that he is mentally incapable of being on a nightly basis.
With injuries to the Lakers’ front line now becoming an annual tradition, Lamar will often find himself back in the starting lineup. In the most recent seasons, this was often detrimental to the Lakers’ reserves, as Lamar is essentially the captain of the self-proclaimed “Bench Mob”. The start of this season will not be any different, as Andrew Bynum is once again, out with injury – likely out of action until December – which means Lamar will get the nod at power-forward until further notice.
While Lamar’s removal from the bench has often put the reserves in some sort of a funk, this year will be a different story, as the Lakers’ summer acquisitions will help fill in the void left by Lamar’s insertion in the starting lineup.
Additionally, I see Lamar’s return to the starting lineup to begin the season as a blessing for the two-time defending champion Lakers. Although Bynum’s presence will be greatly missed, Lamar became a completely different player this summer while playing for Team USA in the World Championships.
Next: 2010 FIBA World Championships
After the superstar filled “Redeem Team” cruised to an Olympic gold medal in the summer of 2008, their wasn’t much optimism for the team set to compete in this summer’s FIBA World Championships. Considered a “B-Team” by some, this group of players was highlighted by budding superstar Kevin Durant and carried seven players with four or less years of NBA experience. Of the team’s 12 players, only two had championship rings and only one had multiple – Lamar Odom. Although Durant was the face of the team, Lamar was it’s vocal leader and role model.
Never in his NBA career had Lamar been given so much responsibility, and now, he was the one players listened to and learned from. However, this wasn’t all by force; Lamar took the newfound role in stride and although he wasn’t putting up tons of points, he was helping the team by crashing glass, pushing the ball up the court and providing the leadership that was absolutely necessary for the team to take home first place.
Next: This Year
Now, as the season draws nearer, Lamar is the Laker player who appears to be the most ready for an NBA season, despite having just spent an entire summer playing hoops after a grueling 100+ game championship run.
With Bynum out and the momentum of Lamar’s summer carrying over into the season, I fully expect Lamar to open the season in “beast mode”. Should you expect him to drop a 20/20 nightly? No, but his maturation will play a major role in the Lakers success during the first half of the season.
Even though he’s back as a starter and is returning with a much-improved game, he is still going to play Lamar basketball. Which is not a bad thing in the slightest. He’s going to continue to be the type of player who pulls down an emphatic rebound and instead of throwing an outlet – pushes the ball up the floor to find a streaking wing for an easy bucket. He’ll get his points mind you, but his real contributions are going to come on the glass, on the defensive end and as a creator. 2010-11 is going to be the year that Lamar buries all the doubts, silences all the haters and puts the “kaput” on the constant trade rumors that have surrounded him throughout his entire career.