Los Angeles Lakers: Let Andrew Bynum Shoot the 3

When the Los Angeles Lakers' Andrew Bynum missed a wide-open three-point shot against the Warriors last night, it certainly raised my (considerably large) eyebrows, though I did not expect the errant shot to become the evening's focal point, or for benched Bynum to wax so broadly defiant about Mike Brown's wishes.

When I asked Bynum about why it's more "bench-worthy" for a big guy to take an open three than for Kobe Bryant to take a contested three, the center expressed confusion over the backlash.

"I don't know what was bench-worthy about the shot, to be honest with you," Bynum said. "I made one last night, I wanted to make another one. I swear, that's it. I guess he took offense to it."

Adding intrigue, Bryant himself backed Bynum with an assortment of quotes:

• "I think he was testing the limits of his game."

• "Everyone kind of frowned when he was shooting a turnaround jumper in the post, and now people aren't frowning anymore because he's making them. (The coaches) have a lot of youth. They're not used to dealing with players of Drew's ambition, at this stage of his career."

• "In some ways the edginess and chippiness of him makes it very easy for me to relate to him because I had some of that when I was young. It’s easy for me to see where he is coming from."

While Bryant may have been using this incident to tweak Mike Brown via proxy, I found his assessment fascinating.

Look at the situation from the perspective of a player who wishes to expand his craft. If Mike Brown won't allow such experimentation, then the only recourse is to either swallow aspirations or to demonstrate the ability in spite of instructions.

So Bynum is following in the Kobe tradition, using star status to defiantly dabble where role players dare not tread. Such limit-testing can hurt a team, but it can also lead to the kind of individual growth that helps a team. 

Moreover, what is so wrong about a big man shooting a wide-open three? It goes against archetype—Bynum is supposed to be a strictly low-block force—but an open shot is an open shot.

The aforementioned Bryant is shooting a horrendous .287 from deep, and he's permitted to launch five times per game. How is that less harmful than allowing the occasional uncontested Bynum trey?

So here's to Drew, for using his power, and for trying to be more than what people expect from him. Call his actions "immature," but also allow that they're indicative of confidence and creativity.