Lakers promised Andre Drummond a starting spot to convince him to sign, per report Drummond was benched entirely for the Lakers' season-ending loss to the Suns
The Los Angeles Lakers were a somewhat surprising choice for Andre Drummond when he was bought out by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Lakers already had two valuable centers in Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell, and even if they didn't, they had just won a championship playing small with Anthony Davis at center. Playing time appeared to be in short supply. There were plenty of other contenders that seemingly had more of it to offer.
But Drummond chose the Lakers and was rewarded with 24.8 minutes of playing time per game. He never once came off of the bench for the Lakers, and now we know why. Marc Stein of the New York Times reported in his Tuesday newsletter that the Lakers needed to promise Drummond a starting position in order to convince him to sign with them.
That starting role should not have been a given. The starting five that the Lakers used earlier in the season featuring Marc Gasol at center outscored opponents by 13.9 points per 100 possession, but the team as a whole started to struggle when Anthony Davis got hurt. The Lakers panicked as a result and felt the need to upgrade that Gasol spot. They pursued Drummond in a move that many Lakers fans criticized. Gasol, for all of his limitations, offered sorely needed spacing, ball movement and reliability on defense that Drummond did not.
Those critics were proven right when Gasol steadily fought his way off of the bench and reclaimed minutes. By Game 6 of the Lakers' first-round loss to the Phoenix Suns, Gasol had been reinserted into the starting lineup. Drummond was benched outright.
The saga as a whole highlights just how different the 2020-21 roster was from its championship predecessor. Dwight Howard is significantly more accomplished than Drummond, but he felt comfortable sacrificing minutes and coming off of the bench for the Lakers. That attitude is necessary to win championships. This year's Lakers didn't have that. Injuries would have prevented them from repeating as champions anyway, but it's a lesson for the Lakers to carry into this offseason. If players need promises to commit to a championship pursuit, they probably aren't great fits for a team with such ambitions.
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