The Los Angeles Lakers were without Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes on Saturday night against the Portland Trail Blazers. The result was a 16-point loss in which the Lakers lost the rebounding battle by 15, but it also provided an opportunity for players like Drew Timme in regular season action.
Timme signed a two-way contract with the Lakers in November after previously being waived by the Brooklyn Nets. He was once a college superstar at Gonzaga, but hasn’t been able to find his footing in the NBA. He had a spectacular game, though, in Saturday’s loss.
He finished with a career-high 21 points on 9-of-12 from the field and 3-of-4 from deep, to go along with four assists and two steals. He did all this in 29 minutes of action. After the game, he credited the IQ of his teammates for giving him easy opportunities and always putting the ball where he needed it, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“It’s easy when you play with guys that just get you the ball in easy spots. Wide open 3s, Smart and Bron were just passing in the pocket. It was just easy. We were just playing basketball and it just happened to be me who got the shots early. It’s great when guys like that will give you the ball when you’re open too, so it’s great team basketball.”
These were Timme’s first real NBA minutes since April 30, 2025 with the Nets, and he was ecstatic to be able to turn that opportunity into a career night:
“I mean, obviously it’s great to see all the work you put in pay off. And that’s the beauty of the G League. Zach (Guthrie) and them at South Bay, they push me. That’s why I keep my skills fine-tuned, when or if I’m ever needed, I’m ready. That’s the beauty of the G, it keeps me sharp for moments like these because you never know when your opportunity may or may not come and you have to be ready. Those guys help you a lot, just continuing to develop and do whatever is asked. That’s part of the job.”
With games like Saturday, Timme is sure to get more opportunity when one or both of Hayes and Ayton have to miss games. He might even be a decent third center option when both are available, to mix up looks for opposing defenses.
Arguably no team in the league has done a better job of converting two-way players to genuine contributors than the Lakers, and Timme could potentially be another example.
JJ Redick calls for Lakers to remain level-headed
The Lakers have been through plenty of ups and downs in the 2025-26 season thus far. Nearing their halfway point, they are 24-16, but with 15 losses by double digits, and more losses than wins in recent weeks.
Head coach JJ Redick understands the instinct to be disappointed in these losses, but encouraged his team to stay level-headed through the rough patches of the NBA regular season.
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