NBA Playoffs 2011: What Andrew Bynum Really Does for the L.A. Lakers

You've heard the media hype—ESPN's shallow NBA analysts will give you vague reasons as to why Andrew Bynum is so key to the Lakers' success. NBA.com analysts will tell you the same, horribly vague descriptions of Andrew Bynum's importance to Los Angeles.

You don't hear anything new—besides the fact that he's playing better defensively, and is getting rewarded offensively. You've heard why he's important—his size, as well as his length.

But there's a lot of stuff you don't know, dear reader. You don't know just how exactly Andrew Bynum is important. He's playing better defensively, but why is he playing better defensively? His length is obviously crucial to the Lakers' chances of running the table, but why is his length so freaking important?

I don't pretend to be an expert. I'm an NFL guy. I know more of the Dolphins' offensive philosophy than I do about 99 percent of the NBA teams' offensive philosophies.

That one percent though, includes the Lakers. (The other might include the Miami Heat: Isolate, drive, kick-out, and repeat.)

Andrew Bynum is a freaking stud, and those who have watched him year in and year out know that he wasn't worth trading for Jason Kidd, or Carmelo Anthony. His footwork is methodical and very well orchestrated. His sheer body strength is daunting for any defender.

But it goes beyond that, y'all.

Because Andrew Bynum is doing a hell of a lot better than any big man left in the playoffs not named Dwight Howard—his defensive rating is just slightly below the Defensive Player of the Year's defensive rating through the first five playoff games. And it's because he's learned his role.

Players let guards drive inside the paint, after screen and rolls, instead of sending a big out to make the switch. (Although, the Lakers didn't seem to follow this ideology in game four against the New Orleans' Hornets—Pau Gasol was continuously schooled by Chris Paul after screen-and-role-induced switches.) Because Bynum has learned to stay patient inside the paint, guards are funneled to the seven-foot Bynum, whose length is even more frightening than Pau Gasol's.

This series marked a new level of growth for Bynum—because while he was playing awesome offensively, the Lakers knew that the Hornets would try to contest the Lakers' to defend the paint, realizing they had fallen asleep late in the season and early in the opening round series.

They dared the Lakers to stop Carl Landry down on the block, and they challenged them to stop Trevor Ariza (an overall horrible offensive player) from using his length and athleticism to slash down the middle. The Hornets said, "We're sending someone down in the middle on offense, and we want to see you try and stop us."

Of course, we know Pau Gasol's response was, "Um, ew!" Instead, the entire defense focused on Andrew Bynum's presence, where his increased activity saw him altering shots in any way possible. His blocking percentage—a percentage of two-point field goals blocked by a player while he's on the floor, was much, much better than the other golden standard (Dwight Howard).

And it all led to offensive confidence—you can tell Andrew Bynum's defensive achievements had gotten him excited offensively. He was extremely active on the offensive end, constantly fronting his defender and calling for the ball. And when he did get the rock in his hands, he didn't hesitate to deliver a couple of blows to Hornets' center Emeka Okafor's body before laying it in. (Note: And who the hell figured Bynum had a mid-range jump-shot that made Pau Gasol smile inside?!)

That's what Bynum is going to have to do all postseason long—he's going to force the opposing team into becoming a jump-shooting team, because his size is a force to be reckoned with.  Now he's become a defensive stalwart, and one that you can contest is better than any other seven-foot center in the league.

So next time you're tuning into ESPN, listening to a bro like Skip Bayless say, "Andrew Bynum is so good because he's so big," feel free to yell at the television and say, "Yeah, but why does size make him so good?!"

You're welcome.