Andre Drummond feels like he’s finally getting in rhythm

In each of his last four games for the Los Angeles Lakers, Andre Drummond has recorded a double-double. The last time he recorded at least four consecutive double-doubles was at the start of the season with Cleveland Cavaliers, when he tallied 12 straight double-doubles.

However, the most impressive thing about Drummond’s last few outings with the Lakers isn’t his raw counting stats; it’s the impact he’s made. During the Lakers’ five-game winning streak to close the season, Drummond had four games with a positive plus-minus. In the 16 games before that, he had just five.

Some may point to that number and say it’s a result of the teams the Lakers played, or the fact that Anthony Davis is rounding into his All-Star form, and both of those things would hold some truth. But Drummond also just looks more comfortable in his new surroundings, and he confirmed that he feels like he’s starting to settle in after the Lakers’ 101-99 win over the New York Knicks last week.

“I finally felt normal for once,” Drummond said. “Just kind of finding a rhythm while I’m out there, doing what I do best: Rebounding the ball, kicking out for threes and just finishing in the paint when I get the ball ... I’m still trying to get a rhythm.

“It had been two months since I played, and I’m on a new team trying to figure out a new role, so these games are just practices for me with a bigger vision in sight.”

Drummond did acknowledge that getting more playing time with Davis has helped him figure out his role on both ends of the floor, and he thinks they’re closer to forming the front court tandem he envisioned when he first arrived to Los Angeles.

“I think it’s just hard to pick your poison between AD and I,” Drummond said.

It’s taken longer that Drummond would have liked to get to where he is now, and he knows he still has a little ways to go, but he’s confident that his teammates and his coaches will push him to where he needs to be in order to be a key piece to a championship-winning team.

“I wouldn’t call it frustration,” Drummond said of how he felt during some of his earlier struggles to adjust. “It’s just more putting pressure on myself because I know what I’m capable of, and everybody knows what I’m capable of, and I just haven’t quite shown it yet. And it’s been difficult to process that.

“I know it’s going to take time, I know these games are going to really help me find a rhythm, and now I’m starting to find myself a little bit more, little by little. My team is doing a great job of keeping me level-headed and keeping me encouraged and positive on the court to allow me to play my game the way that I play.”

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