After three consecutive double-digit losses against the Bucks, Heat and Spurs, Phil Jackson decided he would shake-up the Lakers starting lineup, placing Andrew Bynum in the starting unit and sliding Lamar Odom back into his reserve role.
In his first game back with the second unit, Odom lodged 24 points.
Two of those points came as Odom made his way into the lane on a fast break, looped the ball behind his back, finger-rolled it off the back rim and proceeded to emphatically dunk his own miss.
Jackson might be the Zen Master, orchestrating the return of Bynum as a starter perhaps had a lot to do with the Lakers snapping their recent three game skid, but Odom knows great theater—or is at least familiar with taking over the small (reality TV) screen.
Even though Odom’s time under the marquee as a starter has officially come to a close, he’s still looking to garner the attention of the crowd. Don’t let his so-called demotion to the bench fool you—the move to the second unit isn’t cosmetic. Odom coming off the bench doesn’t appear to make the Lakers better, it definitely makes them better. His play to start the season has already exceeded the expectations of even his toughest critics and his contribution to The Renegades comes at a time when the Lakers need cohesion on both ends of the floor.
Next: As destiny would have it, Odom goes back to being second string