When Anthony Davis went down with an injury that cost him several weeks, the rest of the Lakers season seemed almost hopeless. Surprisingly, they managed to stay afloat, however and did not drop as far in the standings as expected. The main reason for that is obviously LeBron James, who refuses to slow down and let father time catch up to him, but others stepped up too. Thomas Bryant took over Anthony Davis’ starting center spot, and while he was not quite as impactful as Davis, Bryant thrived as a starter.
Two seasons ago, Bryant tore his ACL and struggled to get back to the promising play he had shown before with the Washington Wizards, but when the Lakers needed him to take on a bigger role, he was ready. Bryant took full advantage of the opportunity and has been playing the best season of his career so far, averaging 12.7 points on efficient shooting and 7.2 rebounds. Thus far, he has already recorded nine double-doubles, including his season-best game against the Portland Trail Blazers. In the Lakers’ great comeback win, Bryant scored an extremely efficient 31 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.
Thomas Bryant has been a perfect offensive fit for the Lakers
Bryant pairs well with LeBron James and benefits from playing with the superstar. James attracts so much defensive attention that sometimes Bryant can just sneak into the dunker spot and get an easy basket. His ability to find open spots at the right time and catch pretty much any ball that soars towards the paint, combined with an efficient finishing ability unfazed by contact, also make Bryant a great pick-and-roll partner for James and other ballhandlers such as Dennis Schröder and Russell Westbrook.
The big man’s offensive game is not limited to the paint, though. He has a smooth jumper and quick release from behind the arc, and he converts a career-high of almost 45 percent of his three-point attempts. Defenses have to respect him as a shooting threat, which allows Bryant to stretch the floor for James and bank in on kick-out passes for wide-open threes. With James and Bryant on the floor together, the Lakers actually average 119.3 points per 100 possessions, and James called his younger teammate one of the most skilled bigs in the game.
Offensively, that is true. Bryant was one of the few bright spots and pleasant surprises in Davis’s absence other than James’s scoring tear, but defensively he was not up to the challenge. Without Davis on the floor, the Lakers have one of the worst…
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