He might as well have asked me to write about why smoking cigarettes is/isn't bad for the lungs.
It is hard to say one player is the "key" to a "turnaround" because basketball is such a team-oriented sport. Ultimately, you need all five guys on the floor to play cohesively and complementary. After all, players win awards, while teams win championships.
But if there is one player on L.A.'s roster that would fit the "key to a turnaround" mold, it's Bynum.
Since he returned on Dec. 14 from offseason knee surgery, the Lakers are 8-4 overall and 4-1 when he is in the starting lineup. In those 12 games Bynum has logged 20-plus minutes six times, notched double-digits in scoring on five occasions and posted two double-doubles. But those numbers are as important as chocolate chips are to a sugar cookie recipe.
Rather, Bynum's presence on the court is like that of Derek Fisher in the locker room: It requires attention and demands respect.
With Bynum on the bench, opposing teams are far more inclined to pound the ball inside, which creates higher-percentage shots, open looks at the basket for perimeter shooters due to the potential need for a double-team, and more fouls and free throw attempts—all against the Lakers. Higher percentage shots and open looks lead to more made baskets, which in turn limits the Lakers to playing a halfcourt, methodical, predictable offense.
When Bynum is in the lineup, the opposition is far less likely to attack the interior because he is a legitimate shot-blocking threat. Accordingly, players—more often than not—settle for outside, lower-percentage shots. This allows for more missed shots, which give the Lakers the opportunity to get easy buckets in transition, which in turn builds confidence.
...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
