RealGM Analysis
Andrew Bynum is 7’0 285. He has a 7’6 wingspan, soft hands, good footwork in the post and solid touch 8-10 feet from the basket.
The vast majority of NBA teams don’t have a player who can guard him. Most centers aren’t strong enough to deny him post position or long enough to contest his shots. Excluding Dwight Howard, the ones who are don’t have the quickness to keep him from spinning off them and getting alley-oops.
But for all his talent, Bynum’s had an up-and-down six season for the Los Angeles Lakers. When they drafted Bynum in 2005, the Lakers knew he would be a long-term project. Not only do big men tend to blossom later than guards, but Bynum was the youngest player in NBA history his rookie season: he turned 18 six days before his NBA debut.
And like many super-sized big men before him, Bynum has been unable to stay healthy. He’s averaged only 54 games over the last four seasons, and has played all 82 games once in his six-year career.
When he has played, the Lakers, one of the most talented teams in recent memory, haven’t fully exploited his talents. Last season he had a 17.6 usage rating, behind Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Shannon Brown. For some perspective, the Mavericks JJ Barea had a usage rating of 23.9 last year. There’s something off when a 5’9 guard who is not a consistent three point-shooter gets more offense run for him than a 7’0 center with a low-post game.
The year before, when Bynum had a career high usage rating of 20.8, his per-36 minute averages were 17.8 points and 9.9 rebounds on 57% shooting. In a world where many teams struggle to find a seven-footer who can tie his shoes and chew gum at the same time, NBA GM’s would murder for a big man who can put up those kind of numbers.
Many people close to the Lakers have questioned Bynum’s maturity and leadership ability, but that’s to be expected given his lack of offensive opportunities. As Shaquille O'Neal famously said about his defensive intensity level in Los Angeles: “When you feed the big, the dog will be happy. I can’t run 13 minutes in a game without touching the ball. And if the big dog ain’t me, then the house won’t be guarded -- period.”
There’s a reason coaches always try to get their point guards to reward big men who run the floor on fast breaks. When a player is involved offensively, his overall intensity will increase. It’s not an incredibly mature mentality, but it’s the only way a big man can guarantee he gets the ball from his guards, especially as he’s learning the game at the younger levels.
It’s hard to say how good Bynum would be if he was a primary offensive option, as he’s benefited from playing next to Pau and Odom, two of the premier passing big men in the NBA. But as fans of the Lakers know, a player with All-Star talent will only be content to play the background for so long. Here’s Kobe in 2001: “Tone my game down? I need to turn it up. I’ve improved. How are you going to bottle me up? I’d be better off playing somewhere else.”
Now that he’s firmly established himself in the pantheon of NBA greats, the 32-year old Bryant faces one more career-altering decision, as he’s the obvious choice to scale back his role in the offense to accommodate Bynum. Kobe led the league with an astronomical 33.0 usage rating last season, four points higher than LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, six points higher than Kevin Durant and eight points higher than Dirk Nowitzki.
It’s not that he doesn’t want to share the ball; it’s that he doesn’t trust anyone else to score it like he can. But if the Lakers are going to reclaim their crown, he’s going to have to pace himself, especially in the regular season. He’s not just 32; he’s an old 32: he’s already played in more regular season and playoff games than Michael Jordan.
In Kobe’s time in Los Angeles, the Lakers have been the best show in basketball, both on and off the court, and the next few years should be no different: if he can stay healthy, Bynum can ease Kobe’s burden and keep the Lakers at the top of the NBA. The real question is: will Kobe let him? And what happens if he doesn’t?
The vast majority of NBA teams don’t have a player who can guard him. Most centers aren’t strong enough to deny him post position or long enough to contest his shots. Excluding Dwight Howard, the ones who are don’t have the quickness to keep him from spinning off them and getting alley-oops.
But for all his talent, Bynum’s had an up-and-down six season for the Los Angeles Lakers. When they drafted Bynum in 2005, the Lakers knew he would be a long-term project. Not only do big men tend to blossom later than guards, but Bynum was the youngest player in NBA history his rookie season: he turned 18 six days before his NBA debut.
And like many super-sized big men before him, Bynum has been unable to stay healthy. He’s averaged only 54 games over the last four seasons, and has played all 82 games once in his six-year career.
When he has played, the Lakers, one of the most talented teams in recent memory, haven’t fully exploited his talents. Last season he had a 17.6 usage rating, behind Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Shannon Brown. For some perspective, the Mavericks JJ Barea had a usage rating of 23.9 last year. There’s something off when a 5’9 guard who is not a consistent three point-shooter gets more offense run for him than a 7’0 center with a low-post game.
The year before, when Bynum had a career high usage rating of 20.8, his per-36 minute averages were 17.8 points and 9.9 rebounds on 57% shooting. In a world where many teams struggle to find a seven-footer who can tie his shoes and chew gum at the same time, NBA GM’s would murder for a big man who can put up those kind of numbers.
Many people close to the Lakers have questioned Bynum’s maturity and leadership ability, but that’s to be expected given his lack of offensive opportunities. As Shaquille O'Neal famously said about his defensive intensity level in Los Angeles: “When you feed the big, the dog will be happy. I can’t run 13 minutes in a game without touching the ball. And if the big dog ain’t me, then the house won’t be guarded -- period.”
There’s a reason coaches always try to get their point guards to reward big men who run the floor on fast breaks. When a player is involved offensively, his overall intensity will increase. It’s not an incredibly mature mentality, but it’s the only way a big man can guarantee he gets the ball from his guards, especially as he’s learning the game at the younger levels.
It’s hard to say how good Bynum would be if he was a primary offensive option, as he’s benefited from playing next to Pau and Odom, two of the premier passing big men in the NBA. But as fans of the Lakers know, a player with All-Star talent will only be content to play the background for so long. Here’s Kobe in 2001: “Tone my game down? I need to turn it up. I’ve improved. How are you going to bottle me up? I’d be better off playing somewhere else.”
Now that he’s firmly established himself in the pantheon of NBA greats, the 32-year old Bryant faces one more career-altering decision, as he’s the obvious choice to scale back his role in the offense to accommodate Bynum. Kobe led the league with an astronomical 33.0 usage rating last season, four points higher than LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, six points higher than Kevin Durant and eight points higher than Dirk Nowitzki.
It’s not that he doesn’t want to share the ball; it’s that he doesn’t trust anyone else to score it like he can. But if the Lakers are going to reclaim their crown, he’s going to have to pace himself, especially in the regular season. He’s not just 32; he’s an old 32: he’s already played in more regular season and playoff games than Michael Jordan.
In Kobe’s time in Los Angeles, the Lakers have been the best show in basketball, both on and off the court, and the next few years should be no different: if he can stay healthy, Bynum can ease Kobe’s burden and keep the Lakers at the top of the NBA. The real question is: will Kobe let him? And what happens if he doesn’t?
