Los Angeles Lakers: What To Expect From the Bigs in 2011-12

The Los Angeles Lakers are looking forward to another productive year from their bigs—the skyscrapers of the basketball court. According to The Orange County Register, head coach Mike Brown has asserted that the offense will be run through the bigs, which will demand more out of the Lakers bigs than was under the triangle offense.

With more set emphasis on Lakers bigs Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum, here is what Lakers fans can expect from them in 2011-12:

Pau Gasol: More Physical Play

Paul Gasol has been steadily improving his physical presence in the post and will continue to be more aggressive offensively this season. He should also be more aggressive on defense and ground himself better when an opposing player posts up. 

Look for Pau to post up more often and keep defenders off guard with his polished hook shoot and agility. The more of a threat Gasol becomes down low, the more spread out the offense will be. 

Pau Gasol: Offensive Production

Pau has a chip on his shoulder, averaging a docile 12.5 points per game in the sweep by the Dallas Mavericks in last year’s playoffs. Being a hard-working and self-fulfilling player, Pau will make the necessary adjustments and be better than ever this season.

Look for Pau to attack the hoop more and mix it up with a solid short-range jumper. Gasol should exceed his career averages (18.8 PPG, 9.1 RPG) and finish with 20 points per game and 11 rebounds per game. 

Lamar Odom: Consistency

Whether or not head coach Mike Brown decides to use Lamar Odom as a starter or a key sixth man will be determined once the season begins. Regardless of that decision, Odom will be a consistent offensive asset for the Lakers.

Lamar will be aggressive in attacking the basket and drawing fouls from defenders as he always has. If he is able to stay as healthy as he has in the past four seasons, he will be a great contributor to the team

Lamar Odom: More Ball-Handling

With Lamar’s above-average ball-handling skills and the lack of good starting point guard for the Lakers, Odom should be bringing the ball up the court more often than he has in the past.

An agile power forward like Odom will work well with Mike Brown’s philosophy of starting the offense with the bigs. 

Andrew Bynum: Health

Center Andrew Bynum’s health is never certain and is always a frustration to the seven-footer and fans. With the lockout preventing team workouts, Bynum may have had more opportunity to rest and rehab his knee injury.

However, it could also be argued that the extra rest will leave his knee tender and not ready for game action.

Whatever the case may be, it’s likely that Bynum’s knee injury will flare up again this season. Look for head coach Mike Brown to be careful with the amount of minutes Bynum gets, especially in the opening of the season. 

Andrew Bynum: Tenacity

Andrew Bynum can be a vicious player, as he displayed last year versus the Dallas Mavericks when he dangerously elbowed J.J. Barea in mid-air. Although that specific incident was reckless and uncalled for, Bynum has showed a tenacious side of him that demands much respect in the league.

Being sidelined with a recurring injury is frustrating, yet motivating. When Bynum is in games, look for him to be aggressive and dominant. With Mike Brown’s “bigs offense” philosophy, Bynum should see the ball more in the high post and down low, where he will exert dominance.

Look for Bynum to score 15 points per game, pull in 10 rebounds per game and have two blocks per game. That is, hopefully, if he can stay healthy. 

Conclusion

With a new offensive philosophy enacted by Mike Brown, the Lakers bigs will play their biggest role this season.

The Lakers have an ideal balance of bigs—the graceful yet aggressive Pau Gasol, the consistent and agile Lamar Odom, and the dominant and tenacious Andrew Bynum. 

The Lakers bigs are well prepared for more offensive involvement.