The Los Angeles Lakers picked up Andre Drummond more than halfway through the season after a relatively lackluster showing at the NBA trade deadline.
At the time, the hope was that Drummond, a two-time All-Star, would be able to provide the support and stability down low that had been eluding the Lakers ever since the departure of Dwight Howard.
Obviously things didn’t go according to plan.
Drummond averaged 11.9 points and 10.2 rebounds while starting in all but one of the outings he participated in, but his production lacked much impact. Despite him not making a huge difference on the court, L.A. was obligated to give him playing time – coming at the expense of the team’s relationship with its other prominent big man.
So where does everyone go from here? Drummond shined a light on that this week.
“I enjoyed my time being here in Los Angeles,” he said recently.
“I had a lot of fun and learned a lot being alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis and just the whole team in general. Their mentality of how they attack the game really changed my perception of how I want to carry myself when it comes to basketball. I think playing-wise, we know a lot of guys were injured and we weren’t at full strength the rest of the year. It’s hard to be out in that first round, but there’s nothing you can do about it. Guys will take care of themselves this summer and we’ll find a way to come back stronger.”
Drummond also weighed in on what it was like playing alongside LeBron James.
“Playing alongside LeBron James is a different ball game,” he continued.
“It’s every kid’s dream to play with the best player in the world,” Drummond said. “This is an incredible time for me in my career to have the opportunity to play with LeBron James instead of against him. Hopefully, things go the right way and we’ll try to run it back again.”
Drummond has already made it clear what sort of money he is looking for next year. Whether the Lakers will want to meet that asking price remains to be seen.
One way or another, this promises to be an eventful offseason for all parties involved.
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