There aren't a lot of things going the way of the Los Angeles Lakers for the past several days. The team's malaise has almost coincided with the arrival of Andre Drummond late last March, and that has made him an easy target for frustrated Lakers fans, especially those who wanted to have him benched in favor of Marc Gasol. However, Drummond is not entirely the harbinger of death for the Lakers like how some people are painting him to be. In fact, Drummond appears to have at least indirectly lit a fire under Gasol, who's been shooting better since the rebounding machine landed in Hollywood.
Via Trevor Lane:
Since Andre Drummond arrived with the Lakers at the end of March, Marc Gasol is shooting 64% from the field and 62% from 3
— Trevor Lane (@Trevor_Lane) May 9, 2021
Perhaps Drummond's presence has made Gasol more concerned about his value on the team, which in turn has forced him to be more focused on showing why he should be viewed as an asset on offense. You could make a case that Gasol deserves not just more minutes but the starting center role as well. It will all be up to head coach Frank Vogel, but it's no longer safe to say that Drummond has the starting role locked for the rest of the season. All that being said, Drummond never really has shown a reliable 3-pointer. He's probably going to make matters worse if he suddenly starts spotting from deep, knowing that he's just a career 13.5 percent shooter from long distance.
With the Lakers floundering at the worst time possible, it would be extremely pleasing for the Lakers to see the same impact Drummond is having on Gasol on offense to be reciprocated.
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