| Bynum's Jury Still Out Authored by Scott Essman - November 7, 2007 - 8:22 pm
We just don't know. Will Andrew Bynum blossom into a latter day Shaquille O'Neal? Probably not. Can he become an inside defensive presence and dominant post threat? Perhaps.
Just barely 20, the Lakers' nascent center has scant few games in which he has shown that he may have the talent to carry the Lakers' paint game. Certainly, like Shaq, you don't look to a 7'0" 275-pound player for a finesse game, and you don't want him anywhere near the perimeter. But as a possible underneath player, it is at least possible that Bynum could become the big man component in the Lakers' machine.
In 2006-07, as a 19-year old, he averaged just under 22 minutes per game and scored 7.8 points while getting 5.9 rebounds in all 82 games. Already in the four games thus far in the current season, Bynum is playing the same 23 minutes in each contest, but his numbers are up to over 10 points and just under 10 rebounds. Splitting time at center with Chris Mihm and Kwame Brown, Bynum could easily improve on those numbers and become the Lakers' number one center. The question is, just how high can he climb?
Somewhat soft and like a kid in an adult body, Bynum does not seem to have total control of his physicality at this point. But both literally and figuratively, the sky may be the limit. The Lakers might have been wise to refuse to package him in trades that could have brought either Kevin Garnett or Jermaine O'Neal to Los Angeles.
Although it's unclear, the young man seems to have a decent work ethic and a desire to improve, and this can only ensure that he'll continue to increase his raw numbers. As a possible team leader, there is no way to tell what Bynum could become when he is, say, 25 or 30. It brings to mind another Laker who started as a raw teenager making many mistakes and failing in clutch situations before transforming into one of the game's elite players. His name? Kobe Bryant. |
