The Los Angeles Lakers added Andre Drummond two years ago with the hope that he could provide some much-needed support for Anthony Davis.
Unfortunately, the relationship was mired in controversy and disappointment pretty much from start to finish.
Unsurprisingly, Drummond moved on that same offseason and spent the past season with the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets in a backup capacity.
Recently, Drummond spoke out about his unfortunate run in L.A.
Andre Drummond on his time with the Lakers:
“You got to be built differently to play for that organization.” pic.twitter.com/HqceJwCknM
— pickuphoop (@pickuphoop) June 3, 2022
“The Lakers is exactly what you think it is man,” he said.
“You gotta be built differently to play for that organization. You gotta be mentally strong not even just on the court, but off the court too, because there’s so much expectations to being a Laker and putting that purple and gold on. Because if you don’t meet that expectation, they’ll let you know you’re not worthy enough to wear that jersey.
“So you got to play to the best of your ability and play hard, each and every night, regardless of win, lose or draw. You gotta just play hard, and that’s what they respect.”
Drummond is a fascinating player. In his prime, he was putting up double-doubles with regularity and knew how to fill a stat sheet with the best of them.
Even then, though – questions lingered regarding how impactful he would be on a non-terrible team. There was a prevailing theory that he simply wouldn’t be able to cut it on an actually-good squad.
Turns out, the doubters were right.
Not everyone is cut out to be a Laker. Drummond, by his own admission, definitely was not.
— Game 7 (@game7__) June 5, 2022
At just 28 years of age theoretically Drummond has a lot of career in front of him, albeit not in a starting position.
Where will he ultimately end up when it’s all said and done?
Time will tell.
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Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
