Los Angeles Lakers big man Andre Drummond is nicknamed “The Big Penguin” for some reason. It sounds odd. It's so unusual, even Drummond himself doesn't exactly know why. But as it turns out, penguins are actually one of his favorite animals.
Drummond made the all-important, mind-shattering revelation after the Lakers' 101-93 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday.
Good investigation by @hmfaigen learning that Andre Drummond doesn't know where his nickname "The Big Penguin" originated from, but that penguins are one of his favorite animals. We all learned something today.
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) April 14, 2021
That's quality investigative journalism right there.
But turning serious, Drummond also chimed in on the Lakers' struggles on offense, which for him is a direct effect of all the injuries they've suffered recently. The latest addition to the Purple and Gold, however, said the reason why they're surviving is because of their defense (via Lakers reporter Mike Trudell).
Andre Drummond on the challenge amidst all these minor injuries: "You can’t expect us to have much (offensive) chemistry when we have a different (starting) five every night … we hang our hat on defense."
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) April 14, 2021
The Lakers are the best defensive team in the NBA with a rating of 105.5. Coach Frank Vogel has always been a defense-first tactician and as Drummond pointed out, this philosophy might indeed be the reason why the defending champions haven't fallen miserably in the team standings even without LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
It's pretty apparent that they cannot squeeze out as many victories as they wish without their two stars. But the fact that they've been able to win games, even against top-tier teams, reveals that the Lakers aren't overly reliant on LeBron and Davis. With them, the Lakers are pretty much unstoppable. But without them, they are still a pretty good squad, with Drummond, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, and Dennis Schroder holding the fort.
LeBron might return from his high ankle sprain in the first week of May, while Davis might return even earlier, finally giving them the chance to play with “The Big Penguin” himself, Andre Drummond.
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