Andrew Bynum Pays Dividends In Lakers’ Game 2 Win Vs. Hornets

Andrew Bynum has been an important part of the Los Angeles Lakers' last two title runs despite entering each postseason recovering from injury. In 2009, the young center averaged 17 minutes a game in the NBA Playoffs; last season, we was up to 24. But those figures were substantially lower than Bynum's regular season minutes per game average, showing how strongly Lakers coach Phil Jackson felt about using experienced Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom versus the green Bynum.

But on Wednesday night against the New Orleans Hornets, with the Lakers down 1-0 in the series, Jackson leaned on Bynum and the center came through in a major way. Bynum scored a team-high 17 points and pulled in a game-high 11 rebounds in 31 minutes before fouling out of the Lakers' win. It was Bynum who allowed the Lakers to survive despite combined 5-20 shooting from Kobe Bryant and Gasol, as the center hit 8-11 from the field and knocked Emeka Okafor out with early foul trouble.

The rest of the Lakers' starting lineup shot 13-40 (32.5 percent); Bynum was the only starter with a plus-minus better than +1. (Kobe and Pau were each at +1, Ron Artest finished -6 and Derek Fisher was a -1.) The Lakers were noticeably better with Bynum and Odom sharing the court. Jackson still leaned on a Gasol-Odom tandem late, with Bynum squeezing in there for a few possessions. But clearly, there's a paradigm shift underway in L.A., and in the end it'll land Bynum the starring role he's coveted for so long.