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Andre Drummond is a big guy — there’s just no other way to put it. On NBA.com, he’s listed as 6’10 and 279 pounds. He’s the second-heaviest of any player his height, and the 10th-heaviest player in the NBA. But Drummond’s size is part of his appeal — specifically how mobile he is for a player his size — and the Los Angeles Lakers may be getting the most mobile version of him that we’ve ever seen.
During an interview on ESPN LA “Mason and Ireland” on Monday, Drummond revealed that he lost a significant amount of weight in the six weeks he was away from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"I used this time to get myself in the best condition possible. I've lost about 10-15 lbs during this time. Right now, I'm probably in the best shape I can be. I'm ready to play today."@AndreDrummond tells @VeniceMase & @LAIreland he's ready to play now https://t.co/Wda75IMccI pic.twitter.com/z5FpYVJ5nZ
— ESPN Los Angeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) March 29, 2021
Now, this is pretty standard offseason talk for a player — especially for a burly center like Drummond who’s trying to prove he still has value in today’s NBA — but with how long it’s been since Drummond last played, it’s not crazy to believe that he’s dropped a few pounds in the last month.
The challenge for Drummond now is getting into game shape, and he talked about that challenge during his introductory press conference with the Lakers on Monday.
“This past month has been crazy for me just figuring out how to stay in game shape,” Drummond said. “It’s always easy to stay in shape, but game shape is always a lot harder to do without playing full-contact 5-on-5. But I figured it out. My staff is great who I worked with. I had an incredible month of work where I’m ready to play today.”
The Lakers got their first up-close look at Drummond at the practice facility on Monday. If they’re encouraged by what they see between now and Wednesday, it’s possible that he’ll make his debut for the team against the Milwaukee Bucks. However, if they decide he needs more time like they did with Dion Waiters last season, the soonest he’ll be able to play is Friday against the Sacramento Kings.
Whenever he returns, it sounds like he’ll have some extra motivation to play his best basketball, something we’ve already seen from other players that have left bad situations this season like Nicolas Batum, James Harden and Blake Griffin. That’s obviously good news for the Lakers, especially if his revenge games come with a revenge body.
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