Over the course of the past few weeks, the Lakers have won convincingly over potential conference hurdles, Oklahoma City, Portland, San Antonio and Dallas. They’ve played big against some of the better teams in the East, Orlando and Atlanta (twice). Taken care of business against teams they should beat handedly, Minnesota, Charlotte and the Clippers.
They’ve done it with defense, certainly, but the Lakers have also benefited from taking some of the load off the team’s second leading scorer, Pau Gasol.
In case you hadn’t noticed, Gasol was the big winner in the Andrew-Bynum-is-finally-healthy-in-March sweepstakes.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, when Gasol averages 19.6 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, it usually translates into a win for the Lakers. Over the last 10 games, Gasol has averaged numbers only slightly below–18.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists, while shooting at 52.2-percent from the field.
The Lakers have only lost one game over the last 10. Coincidence? You be the judge.
Next: There’s no match for the Gasol/Bynum front court.
Gasol is perhaps the league’s most-skilled big man. He’s able to beat most defenders with a vast array of offensive options. It’s easy to take Gasol’s versatility for granted. He’s been such a pillar of consistency for the Lakers that we tend to forget just how effective he can be in not only creating his own shots, but taking an inside-out approach and creating opportunities for his teammates with his passing ability. More importantly, it’s easy to forget just how much his productivity and efficiency coincides with a winning percentage for the Lakers. Although Gasol would probably be putting up similar numbers without Bynum, he has to exert more work and energy in doing so.
In other words, having a healthy Bynum just made the game that much easier for the Spaniard.
Take the game against San Antonio for example. Remove Bynum from the equation and you’re left with Gasol and Lamar Odom in the front court. A formidable duo, but in terms of defense, few things trump a 290-pound, seven-footer guarding the paint. Having Bynum at full strength against the Spurs allowed the Lakers to slide Gasol in the power forward spot, leaving Bynum to have to account for Tim Duncan on defense and Gasol working an undersized DeJuan Blair on the offensive end. Gasol ended the night with 22 points and Bynum had 17 boards. It should be noted that Duncan was a virtual non-factor and Blair and Manu Ginobili ended the night with six points each.
Over the last couple of years Gasol has improved as both a rebounder and defender and even though game 7 of the 2010 finals should have eliminated any remnants of the “soft” label he was given two years prior, Gasol does at times struggle when matched with strength. The presence of both Bynum and Gasol create the perfect combination of brain and brawn. Gasol can command the double team and Bynum can power-up to create easy offense. On the defensive side of things, Bynum can take hits and make it that much harder on defenders to out-muscle Gasol while crashing the boards.
Next: Gasol’s minutes decrease as his production increases.
While Bynum’s contributions on defense have certainly lifted the Lakers to another level of play, his health and ability to play extended minutes on the floor have made all the difference for Gasol and in turn, the rest of the team.
In fact, the status of Bynum’s health creates a domino effect that extends far beyond Gasol putting up slightly higher offensive numbers. While out on the floor and taking the grunt of the hard-hits by the opposing centers in the league, Gasol’s minutes per game drops to an average of about 36. It’s a far cry from the 40-plus minutes he was averaging while Bynum recovered from knee surgery. We know Gasol’s history with injury to his hamstrings and having to play extended minutes certainly didn’t help his jump shot or overall efficiency. Cutting back on minutes played, coupled with a sharper mental focus, has even rejuvenated Gasol’s jump-shot.
Aside from Gasol being the main benefactor of having Bynum playing at a high level, Lamar Odom benefits by not having to go back-and-forth between the bench and starting unit. Odom can gain confidence working with the second unit by establishing flow and chemistry that they just couldn’t get with Bynum not playing consistent minutes.
Consider the game against Dallas. In previous games, the bench hadn’t made any significant strides in producing consistent or even instant offense. Having played a few games as a unit enabled the bench to come in and contribute while Kobe Bryant checked into the locker room to get his ankle checked. We saw Steve Blake morph into the player everyone thought he was back when the Lakers signed him over the summer, accounting for three made baskets from behind the arc; 9 points and 5 assists. The Lakers are going to need the bench to come up big in games come playoff time.
What’s more is the Lakers have continued their stretch of wins despite Bryant not putting up his usual offensive numbers. It remains to be seen what becomes of Bryant’s sprained ankle he sustained during the game against Dallas. Knowing him, he’ll play regardless and probably still put up respectable numbers, but don’t be fooled the Lakers want Bryant at full strength come mid-April.
A healthy Bynum takes the load off Gasol, who can then fill the void while Bryant gets back to full strength.
It’s a win, win, win.