Why Lamar Odom Would Be A Solid Addition To The Lakers’ Front Court

As for Mike D’Antoni’s offense? Well, Lamar absolutely thrived in Phil Jackson’s Triangle offense, but I believe he could be effective in D’Antoni’s as well.

D’Antoni likes the idea of a stretch four, and although Lamar isn’t the best shooter, his versatility and ability to do so many things on the court can be an asset for the system. Essentially, Odom is able to operate from farther away from the basket than Pau Gasol was last season when D’Antoni tried to have him do that. Also, as stated earlier, Odom and Gasol have a strong chemistry and Odom was often the guy who was able to bridge the ball from the back court into the post–which was another problem the Lakers faced at times last season.

Many of you may still be worried about Odom’s potential at this juncture of his career, but I’m still willing to bet that he’ll still be quite productive.

Lamar has never been a player who has relied on his athleticism or speed, but rather on his skill level. Basically, at age 34, he’s physically not a whole lot different than he was when he was 30; his game has always been smooth instead of flashy or hyper-athletic.

Is he the type of athletic specimen the Lakers so desperately use right now? Not at all, but the Lakers are hard-pressed to find someone like that in this free agent season.

However, Odom is a pass-first type of player, which is always welcomed on a team, and no player is quicker than the ball when it comes to offense versus defense.

Delving more into the offense, although Mike D’Antoni eventually gave in to posting the ball more frequently as opposed to running pick-and-rolls to death towards the end of the season, he’ll still want to run some pick-and-rolls.

Where Odom fits into that is the fact that he can both create and finish on pick-and-roll plays; he can play on both sides of those.

Oh, and I’m sure that D’Antoni will love the fact that Odom can rebound and push the ball in one swoop.

Back to the passing, though. Can you imagine the type of half-court passing display that can be put on with the likes of Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, and Pau Gasol on the floor together?

Defensively, Odom’s length can still be used on the likes of quick guards all the way down to tall centers.

Perhaps the biggest selling point on both sides, however, is simple: Familiarity.

Odom has played alongside Kobe and Pau, won with them, and the group knows each others’ respective game and tendencies.

They also get along well off the court, which seems to be a huge factor in decisions like this, as of late.

At the core of it all, it’s a move that would likely be welcomed by the players, coaches, management, and the fans.

That’s enough of what I think, though. What do you all think? L.O. or no?

—————————————————————————————————————–

Did you see our video about the Lakers possibly using their Amnesty on MWP? If not, check out our video below and don’t forget to click here to subscribe to our YouTube Channel!

You May Also Like

Lakers News: Dwight Howard Finally Acquired by Lakers

Months and months of speculation are finally over. The drama, rumors, and…

Paul George Talks About His Admiration For Kobe Since He Was A Child

[new_royalslider id=”125″] As Kobe Bryant’s career winds down, a new era of…

Lakers News: Darvin Ham Has High Expectations For Troy Brown Jr.

Troy Brown Jr. made his Los Angeles Lakers debut in the second week of the 2022-23 season after dealing with a back injury…

Lakers Rookie Ivica Zubac Plans To Make The Skyhook His Signature Shot

Rookie Ivica Zubac is already a fan favorite amongst the Los Angeles Lakers faithful. The Croatian center has shown a versatile skill set on the court and a very likable personality off of it…