The Los Angeles Lakers have been navigating the absence of Anthony Davis for the past month as he recovers from a foot injury. They've been steady for the most part largely due to the presence of Thomas Bryant. This is Bryant's second go-round with the Lakers. They originally drafted him with the 42nd pick in the 2017 NBA draft, but they cut him after only one season. He was picked up by the Washington Wizards as a free agent, and it was there that he began a bit of a mentorship with Russell Westbrook that has carried over to the Lakers as per Dan Woike of The LA Times.
“What he used to tell me was to always stay prepared and always train like it was for a game,” Bryant said. “One thing I took from him was the amount of preparation he did, whether it was before practice, after practice, before games and after games. He always took great, great care of his body. And that’s what I always got from him too. The recovery needs to be. . .as much as you do out there on the court, you need to recover as much as you can as well.”
Russell Westbrook was one of the players who showed Thomas Bryant the most support after he tore his ACL while with the Wizards.
“I love it. I just love seeing him compete,” Westbrook said. “He’s a passionate kid and he wants to compete at the highest level. And I want to make the game easy for him so he can show his worth and show what he’s made of. And that’s part of my job.”
On the season, Bryant is averaging 13.0 points per game and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 66.1 percent from the field and 42.4 percent from three-point range. His emergence has the Lakers thinking of a big lineup with Bryant alongside both Davis and LeBron James.
Follow Us
Subscribe