Lamar Odom: An Inconsistent, Yet Highly Underrated Player

Lamar Odom is a two-time NBA champion and now has a FIBA World Championship gold medal.  These accolades have all been earned in the past two years.

Many basketball players with this resume would be considered one of the best in the league.  But not Lamar Odom.

It seems like Odom has received more attention from his marriage to Khloé Kardashian and being the NBA’s “Candy Man” than for his accomplishments. For many Lakers fans, Odom is seen as an inconsistent player.

One game he will put up close to 20 points and grab 12 or more rebounds, playing at an all-star level. The next game may then see Odom scoring just 5 points.

In terms of pure talent, few players rank above Odom in the world. He is one of only a handful of 6’ 10” players that can act as a primary ball handler and playmaker, a top rebounder, play stellar defense, and shoot out to three-point range. Speaking of his playmaking abilities, he often teams with Pau Gasol to form arguably the best passing big man duo in the NBA.

Yet, despite his abilities, Lamar Odom has never been an NBA all-star. As the leader of the Lakers’ bench, it is appalling that he has yet to win a Sixth Man of the Year Award.  While his overall bench stats are impressive, Odom excels at being the catalyst of the triangle offense.

Trying to defend Odom is a challenge for most teams. Lamar Odom has proved to be too tall and strong for most small forward defenders. Paired against power forwards, Lamar Odom can take advantage of his quickness.

He may be the best in the league at rebounding the ball and running the break. He’s effective in defending big players, practicing against Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol in practice on a daily basis.

For the first time, many basketball fans around the world got to see why Lamar Odom is such an important part of the team he plays on. As part of Team USA, Odom secured the starting center position over seven-footer Tyson Chandler. Perhaps his practice against Gasol and Bynum is why he was effective against taller players in the FIBA World Championship Tournament.

Consider what Odom did in the team’s two biggest games. In the semifinals against Lithuania, Lamar Odom’s stat line included 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Then in the gold medal game against Turkey, Odom scored 15 points, pulled down 11 rebounds, and played tough defense against the much bigger Turkish frontline.

On a night when few Americans were playing well besides Kevin Durant, Odom stepped up as the key second player. After Durant scored the majority of his points by the third quarter, Lamar Odom scored all of his points and secured eight rebounds in the second half.

Besides being an excellent playmaker for Team USA, he served as a premier garbage man along with Rudy Gay and Andre Iguadala in cleaning up the glass and getting put-backs. While Durant was the MVP of the game, Odom might have been the most valuable player of the second half.

For those who have followed Lamar Odom’s career, these recent performances are nothing new. Despite some inconsistent play, Odom has a knack for playing well in big games.  He has earned Mike Krzyzewski’s and Phil Jackson’s trust to play crucial minutes. These coaches know Odom will provide the necessary leadership and make the right plays.

In looking at all of his accomplishments, Lamar Odom is not finished with his career. At age 30, he most likely has a few good years left to play and may win another NBA championship or two.

What a long way Lamar Odom has come in his life after growing up in Queens being raised by his grandmother, due to a heroin-addict father and his mother dying of cancer. Those years are behind him, and now Lamar Odom is a 3-time world champion: twice with the Los Angeles Lakers and once with Team USA.

His legacy on one of the premier sports franchises is secure as over time he’ll be remembered as a winner. As a basketball player, what more could one want?