Lakers sign defensive specialist Andre Drummond

Andre Drummond (Erik Drost, Wikimedia Commons)

The Los Angeles Lakers have found a big man to complement Anthony Davis. On Sunday, the Lakers signed center Andre Drummond of Mount Vernon, New York, to a one-year deal worth $794,536, after agreeing to a contract buyout with the Cleveland Cavaliers this past Friday according to heavy.com.

The expectation for Drummond in Los Angeles is a simple one. It is to help LeBron James and Davis win a second consecutive NBA Finals.

The Lakers will be Drummond’s third NBA team. In addition to 33 games over two seasons with the Cavaliers, Drummond played 7.5 seasons with the Detroit Pistons, and was an All-Star in 2016 and 2018.

So far this season with Cleveland, Drummond has averaged a double-double, with 17.5 points per game, 13.5 rebounds per game, and 2.6 assists per game. He also had a shooting percentage of .474, a free-throw percentage of .597, and a three-point percentage of .000.

The Lakers might be a little concerned that Drummond’s field-goal percentage is a career-low. It is actually the first time in his career that he has been below .500.

The fact that Drummond does not take many three-point attempts, is not that much of a surprise, as Drummond’s focus is to be a dominant presence in the paint. One must also realize that Drummond is not a good free-throw shooter either, so we could see the Lakers’ playoff opponents purposely foul Drummond on a regular basis somewhat similar to what we saw with Shaquille O’Neal when he was with the Lakers.

For four straight seasons with the Pistons from 2016 to 2019, Drummond led the NBA in rebounds. He had 1198 in 2015-16, 1115 in 2016-17, 1247 in 2017-18, and 1232 in 2018-19.

With the addition of Drummond, expect Marc Gasol to get less playing time. Gasol has been a disappointment for the Lakers this season since signing from the Toronto Raptors, as he is only averaging 4.8 points per game.

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