Now, as the season draws nearer, Lamar is the Laker player who appears to be the most ready for an NBA season, despite having just spent an entire summer playing hoops after a grueling 100+ game championship run.
With Bynum out and the momentum of Lamar’s summer carrying over into the season, I fully expect Lamar to open the season in “beast mode”. Should you expect him to drop a 20/20 nightly? No, but his maturation will play a major role in the Lakers success during the first half of the season.
Even though he’s back as a starter and is returning with a much-improved game, he is still going to play Lamar basketball. Which is not a bad thing in the slightest. He’s going to continue to be the type of player who pulls down an emphatic rebound and instead of throwing an outlet – pushes the ball up the floor to find a streaking wing for an easy bucket. He’ll get his points mind you, but his real contributions are going to come on the glass, on the defensive end and as a creator. 2010-11 is going to be the year that Lamar buries all the doubts, silences all the haters and puts the “kaput” on the constant trade rumors that have surrounded him throughout his entire career.
