NBA: Will Andrew Bynum be the best upcoming center?
The Los Angeles Lakers have provided the NBA with some of the most notable centers to date. Players like Wilt Chamberlain who literally wrote the record books by scoring 100 points in one game followed by other countless records; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who was undeniably the best center with an all-time scoring record and has won six NBA championship titles, followed by Shaquille O’Neal who has dominated through the 90’s and the millennium. With his sheer size and weight, his swiftness and ability to score is noteworthy, who knew giants could move so fast.
Pau Gasol is the current star center for the Lakers and together with Kobe Bryant they have dominated the NBA since past two years and have brought two titles to the team back to back. However despite Andrew Bynum being present in the Lakers for the past five years, the team has just started giving him minutes on the court and the 22 year old center is proving to be a great player already.
Is Andrew Bynum likely to create a place for himself with the elite centers of the Lakers?
Andrew proved he was worthy in last year’s post season by scoring 42 points with 15 rebounds against the Los Angeles Clippers. Sadly he was injured shortly after colliding with Kobe which resulted in a knee sprain. Nevertheless he got back on his feet and averaged 26 points with 14 after a few weeks of rest against the Memphis Grizzlies.
He is amongst the few present in the NBA with limited education but with unbelievable potential. He has already won two NBA titles. Although his health concerns are raising many questions, but experts continue to believe in the young player. Right next to Pau he will contend for the upcoming championships i.e. if he remains healthy.
Comparing him to the previous legends like Chamberlain, Abdul-Jabbar or Shaquille would be foolish, although by his work ethic and statistics improving over the years many Lakers fans conclude he will touch the elite if he remains consistent. Gasol; the Spaniard’s game is dissimilar to Andrew’s, Gasol plays forward and center while Andrew strictly plays as a center.
Experts say Andrew is Patrick Ewing of the millennium; their figures might not match because when Patrick came to the league he was given big minutes and was placed under the spotlight. However their playing style is quite similar and Andrew has the next year to prove himself, whether he is worthy of being compared to any of the legends or is he just an average center player.
Ewing came to the league at the age of 23 and began his era giving a tough time to legends like Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. Conversely Bynum was the youngest to join the league at the age of 17 and has been present since then but has not appeared in many games.
Critics say Andrew Bynum can embed a significant presence in the NBA only if he learns from Kobe’s work ethic and Gasol’s elegance, then he might be able to surpass NBA’s youngest current star center Dwight Howard. Bynum certainly needs to work harder, and make three blocks per game for the next ten years if he wants to surpass all the leading centers currently.
While experts say all Bynum needs to do is to challenge his inner beast which we all have seen in past few games, his ability to dunk like Shaquille over his opponents knocking them to the side with pure dominance could help lift up his game. Bynum has shown dedication towards the game and spirit on improving his game further. After injuring his knee again in this year’s playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder’s he still got off the bench and continued to play.
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