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The Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of crosses on their roster. This was true before signing Andre Drummond on Sunday, but with the double All-Star now in the mix, they have four crosses in their lineup, including Montrezl Harrell, Marc Gasol and Anthony Davis, who played a good chunk of his. team. minutes at center in the playoffs last season.
The Lakers’ depth at center will force Frank Vogel to make some tough decisions and according to a report from The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, he has already made one:
Drummond is expected to regain the upper hand over outgoing starting center Marc Gasol, according to league sources.
Gasol, who signed a two-year contract with the Lakers for the veteran’s minimum in November, has started all 38 games he has been available for this season. In these games, Gasol averaged just 4.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game, a far cry from 17.5 points. 13.5 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game Drummond averaged a starter with the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier this season.
But the lack of impressive numbers in Gasol’s stat line doesn’t mean he hasn’t had an impact this season. In fact, the five-man unit of Dennis Schröder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, LeBron James, Davis and Gasol have posted a net score of +13.9 in 280 minutes this season. Among the rosters that have played at least 250 minutes together this season, this roster ranks third in the net standings. So why would the Lakers change him?
In the short term, Drummond provides more individual offense than Gasol at this point in his career, and if there’s anything the Lakers need in the absence of James and Davis, it’s an individual offense. Granted, he’s not a particularly effective post-up scorer, as Basketball News’ Nekias Duncan recently pointed out in his breakdown of Drummond’s first with the Lakers, but his aggressiveness would be a breath of fresh air in the lineup. of departure despite this, especially in relation to the aggression of Gasol (or its absence).
When James and Davis return to the starting lineup, the case for Drummond is more difficult – at least right now – due to Gasol’s success with them. In the 346 minutes that James, Davis and Gasol have played together this season, they have posted a net score of +14.
The hope is, however, that Drummond will solidify as a starting center regardless of the situation in the games leading up to James and Davis’ return – and if he can do it, it’s unclear what. that the Lakers can accomplish when they’re in great health.
For more Lakers Talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast on itunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google podcasts. You can follow this author on Twitter at @RadRivas.
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