After missing the first 24 games of the regular season while recovering from knee surgery, Andrew Bynum’s fourth game back coming off the bench was perhaps his most productive. He led all reserves with 16 points and seven rebounds in 17 minutes of play.
It’s nice to see that Bynum has fit in nicely with the second unit, now the Killer B’s are complete—Brown, Barnes, Blake and Bynum.
Well not quite.
At least for the time being, until Bynum gets his explosiveness, timing and rhythm back he’ll play limited minutes while coming off the bench. It was previously reported that Bynum would immediately join the starting five upon his return, but this time around the Lakers are taking precautions with Bynum’s health, opting to bring him back slow in hopes he’ll finish the season strong.
The Lakers haven’t had the luxury of having Bynum at a 100 percent to end the season in a while, but want to make sure it happens this coming June.
Just ask the Celtics about the importance of having an inside presence during the last two games of the season. Actually, just ask Kobe Bryant or anyone else who dares recall the 2008 finals just how much a healthy big man can make or break a championship run.
“[Bynum’s] presence gives us more size, it gives us length,” Bryant said. “He makes a big difference for us.”
