Lakers' Marc Gasol: Andre Drummond Replacing Me 'A Hard Pill to Swallow'

Los Angeles Lakers center Marc Gasol spoke frankly about what the addition of Andre Drummond means for him.

Addressing reporters after Friday's 115-94 win over the Sacramento Kings, Gasol said the Drummond signing is "a hard pill to swallow because I know I'm going to be out of the lineup at some point."

Gasol signed a two-year, $5.3 million contract with Los Angeles in November. The 36-year-old has been the team's primary starting center in 2020-21, but head coach Frank Vogel was splitting his minutes with Montrezl Harrell.

The Lakers added Drummond as a free agent on March 28 after he received a buyout from the Cleveland Cavaliers. He made his debut for the reigning NBA champions Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks in the starting lineup.

Drummond and Harrell combined to play 40 minutes in the Lakers' 112-97 loss to the Bucks, even though Drummond left early in the third quarter with a toe injury. Gasol played a season-low six minutes.

Gasol was back in the starting lineup Friday with Drummond out and played 28 minutes. He tied a season high with nine rebounds and dished out six assists against the Kings.

Gasol has struggled to find his rhythm all season. He is averaging career lows in scoring (4.8 points per game), rebounds (4.0) and field-goal percentage (40.5).