LA Lakers: Andrew Bynum Must Step Up and Anchor Team Defense in 2011-12

During his exit interview this season, Andrew Bynum lobbied for a larger role in the Lakers offense. Given the vast improvement in his mid-range, turnaround and post game, Bynum's desire for more offensive looks is certainly warranted.

But on a team of scorers like the Lakers, Bynum's request might fall on deaf ears. Kobe Bryant will be the first to enforce Bynum's standing in the pecking order, famously saying the Mamba "eats first, Pau eats second" and the rest of the roster, including Bynum, can take the leftovers—fork and knife in hand.

Bynum's plea came on the heels of a disastrous second-round playoff exit by the Lakers. Since then, the team has abandoned the triangle offense and will bring in an entirely foreign system under new Lakers head coach Mike Brown. Whether Bynum receives an increased role under Mike Brown's offensive system is uncertain, as it's still too early to tell.

Regardless, Andrew is focusing on the wrong end of the floor. 

Without a doubt, Bynum's best work is on defense. He is a game changer. Coaches around the league have shown great respect for the Lakers' defensive man in the middle and have been forced to adjust their game plans on sole account of Bynum's presence.

Drew must put aside his offensive aspirations and anchor the team's defense heading into next season. In fact, a Lakers title run might ultimately depend on it.

His ability to hunker down and be the veritable, dominant presence in the paint is something nary a team can contend with and an aspect that easily turns the 2011 Western Conference Semifinalists into automatic 2012 NBA Championship contenders.

Bynum's defensive dominance was on display during the Lakers' spectacular 17-1 record after the All-Star break once Lakers assistant coach Chuck Person installed a new defensive system.

The game plan was simple: fight through screens, run players off the three-point line, rotate to prevent open outside shots and funnel all the action into the lane where the imposing, 7'0'', 285 pound frame of Andrew Bynum would be waiting to ruin your day.

While Bynum held up his end of the bargain in the playoffs, the Lakers perimeter players didn't. Crisp passing by the Dallas Mavericks and a fatigued Lakers backcourt made short work of this game plan, putting on a shooting clinic during the series that could only be capped off by an NBA record 20 three-point field goals in the fourth and final game.

Still, Bynum's renewed vigor on the defensive side of the ball was a welcomed development and a recipe for success.

Over this 18 game stretch with Drew anchoring the defense, the stats paint a clear picture.

Lakers Points per game: 101.11

Opponent Points per game: 90.8

Andrew Bynum stats: 11.9 rebounds per game, 2.5 blocks per game.

The picture also becomes clearer when you consider the amount of altered shots Bynum created—something record keepers and statisticians do not track but arguably should. In that regard, Bynum's presence was felt and undoubtedly feared by Laker foes, throwing opponents off their game plans and into the Lakers' own.

When asked about his stellar defensive play—in which Bynum's performances were regarded, fair or not, as "Bill Russell-like"—Bynum took a positive look, saying:

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"I just think it's because I've realized it's a way to get into the game without having to dominate the ball on offense. We have scorers on this team. It's just a way to keep your energy level high.. I just did it a couple of times and was like, wow, it works." 

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Better yet, these convictions were uttered in the Lakers locker room after Bynum put in a dominating 10 point, 18 rebound, four block performance against—guess who—Dwight Howard. 

This 18-game stretch is a large enough sample size to suggest the Lakers are on to something with Bynum as the focal point. Throw in a few adjustments from Mike Brown's defensive tool kit, and you're looking at an elite defensive team. The blueprint for success is there—it's time to act upon it.

Clamoring for a Dwight-for-Bynum trade is simply red herring—the Lakers already have their anchor in the middle who—at his best—can and should be considered the most imposing defensive figure in the league.

Embrace this Lakers mainstay as the defensive anchor and the winning—along with Bynum's legacy—will take care of itself. For young Andrew, the best is still to come.