Marc Gasol Will Lose Starting Job To Andre Drummond, Lakers Unlikely To Waive Him

[RealGM Wiretap]

The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to start Andre Drummond at center over Marc Gasol, sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

Frank Vogel declined to go into any detail about any conversations the Lakers had with Drummond about his role before they signed him.

“I have talked to him personally,” Vogel said. “He’s really excited about this situation. I don’t want to go too far into the nature of those private conversations other than to say that he’s really excited — probably excited as we are. I think our team got a lot better.”

Either way, Drummond is expected to receive less playing time and touches with the Lakers than he did with the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Gasol is unlikely to be waived by the Lakers, sources tell The Athletic. 

Via Jovan Buha/The Athletic

[Parataxis]

"Either way, Drummond is expected to receive less playing time and touches with the Lakers than he did with the Cleveland Cavaliers. "

Now, I'm not a math genius, but I'm pretty sure it's impossible for Drummond to play less than the zero minutes a game he was playing before being bought-out.

[yava]

Such a huge upgrade from Marc Gasol. As long as Drummond can just rebound and defend, I would say the Lakers should have the West pretty much locked up for another trip to the finals. Losing Dwight Howard and Javale McGee really hampered their interior defense so Drummond will help fill in that gap and more.

[boomershadow]

Such a huge upgrade from Marc Gasol. As long as Drummond can just rebound and defend, I would say the Lakers should have the West pretty much locked up for another trip to the finals. Losing Dwight Howard and Javale McGee really hampered their interior defense so Drummond will help fill in that gap and more.

He can't defend.

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[Revived]

Such a huge upgrade from Marc Gasol. As long as Drummond can just rebound and defend, I would say the Lakers should have the West pretty much locked up for another trip to the finals. Losing Dwight Howard and Javale McGee really hampered their interior defense so Drummond will help fill in that gap and more.

He can't defend.

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AD and Bron will teach him. He’s not someone that’s challenged size wise like Harrell.

[Ballknowledge]

Such a huge upgrade from Marc Gasol. As long as Drummond can just rebound and defend, I would say the Lakers should have the West pretty much locked up for another trip to the finals. Losing Dwight Howard and Javale McGee really hampered their interior defense so Drummond will help fill in that gap and more.

He can't defend.

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AD and Bron will teach him. He’s not someone that’s challenged size wise like Harrell.

The mans been in the league 9 years and played with plenty of other good defenders and decent coaches and has been awful on defence consistently. That ain’t changing in 2 months my man

[TheCage4]

I would of liked to see Gasol go out on a high note. If he doesn’t bring a lot to the court off the bench I don’t see him being in the league next year.

Forever Grit & Grind

[arasu]

He can't defend.

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AD and Bron will teach him. He’s not someone that’s challenged size wise like Harrell.

The mans been in the league 9 years and played with plenty of other good defenders and decent coaches and has been awful on defence consistently. That ain’t changing in 2 months my man

Drummond is polarizing, and we get people going too far either direction with their opinions of his defense. His defensive rebounds, steals, and blocks numbers look pretty good on paper, so some think of him as better on defense than he is. He has played on teams with terrible defensive chemistry and coaching inconsistency, which has contributed to a slightly over-hyped bad reputation on that end. He makes a lot of mental mistakes, is not the vocal defensive leader like Gasol has been, and seems to be lost frequently. But in a simplified scheme, he should flourish in the same way JaVale did. He fills a big hole on the boards for the Lakers, and his ability to force turnovers and decent blocks rate should translate to positive utility. He's not the savior upgrade many Laker fans are looking for, and for that matter, Gasol isn't as bad as many are claiming, but Drummond is a nice fit with the Lakers' needs. Drummonds' detractors may be in for a surprise. Drummond's numbers should take a big hit while with the Lakers, especially after Davis returns, but he fills that Howard/McGee role they've been lacking, which should translate to more team success.

[Rek]

I would of liked to see Gasol go out on a high note. If he doesn’t bring a lot to the court off the bench I don’t see him being in the league next year.

Forever Grit & Grind

I feel the same for Marc. He should have been signed as a backup. He's no longer a starter which was evident well before this season. Also, his shooting range allows him to easily coexist with Trez or AD without clogging the paint.

Still brings value. Just needs to be the right role.

[Spot31]

Such a huge upgrade from Marc Gasol. As long as Drummond can just rebound and defend, I would say the Lakers should have the West pretty much locked up for another trip to the finals. Losing Dwight Howard and Javale McGee really hampered their interior defense so Drummond will help fill in that gap and more.

He can't defend.

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AD and Bron will teach him. He’s not someone that’s challenged size wise like Harrell.

James plays defense???