Over the weekend, reports suggested that former Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum is planning on returning to the NBA for the first time in over four years. Many fans have speculated that the 30-year-old Bynum could be making his comeback wearing the purple and gold, given the Lakers’ perceived weakness at center. However, a new set of predictions from Fansided blog Sir Charles in Charge suggests that there are some other teams where Bynum could be a better fit, including the defending champion Golden State Warriors.
Aside from suggesting that Bynum could sign with the Philadelphia 76ers and finally get to play for the team after failing to do so in 2012-13 due to injuries, or join the Houston Rockets and see about eight minutes of action per game as Clint Capela’s backup, Sir Charles in Charge’s John W. Butler III wrote that the former All-Star center could fit in well with the Warriors. Although Golden State signed DeMarcus Cousins earlier in the offseason, the Achilles injury that prematurely ended his 2017-18 season could keep him out at the start of the new season.
According to Butler, Andrew Bynum could be a good addition to the Warriors, as Golden State is likely to rely mostly on youngster Kevon Looney following JaVale McGee’s move to the Lakers and David West’s retirement. However, such a move would likely have Bynum playing limited minutes and producing similar numbers to Looney, who averaged four points and 3.3 rebounds in 2017-18 while relieving power forward Draymond Green and center Zaza Pachulia, the latter of whom is now with the Detroit Pistons.
Andrew Bynum, once a promising and dominant center, hasn’t played in the League since 2014.
He’s planning a comeback for this season, according to a new report from @ShamsCharania : https://t.co/FO5Ed69a3Y pic.twitter.com/FcDsyaQDZs
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) September 9, 2018
“There’s a chance that Bynum could match that production off the bench with a veteran’s minimum contract. The added depth will certainly come in handy during the postseason.”
As recalled by Sports Illustrated , Andrew Bynum enjoyed success during his brief tenure in the NBA after being picked 10th overall in the 2005 NBA Draft. Together with Chris Paul, Deron Williams, David Lee, and Danny Granger, he is one of only five players from that draft class to play in an All-Star Game, having done so in 2011-12, when he averaged a career-high 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds for the Lakers and was also named a second-team All-NBA selection. He last played in the NBA on March 15, 2014, in a season where he played 24 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers and only two for the Indiana Pacers before he was deactivated for the rest of the year.
