Lakers News: How Thomas Bryant Stepped Up In Cleveland Defeat
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With Anthony Davis unavailable for your Los Angeles Lakers after just an 8:07 cameo in the first quarter, and key backup big man Wenyen Gabriel out hurt, the duty to man the paint against the Cleveland Cavaliers last night fell mostly to 25-year-old backup center Thomas Bryant.
Though L.A. fell apart late in the game to ultimately lose 116-102 on the road, Bryant himself showed up to play. He scored 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor, pulled down nine rebounds, and registered a +2 plus-minus on the night. Bryant was one of just three rotation players last night to have a positive plus-minus -- one of five if you count Kendrick Nunn and Juan Toscano-Anderson, who only showed up for mop-up minutes with the game already all but lost.
So how did he do it?
Seven-time champ Robert Horry (who won three of those titles with the Lakers of course) unpacked Bryant's night on Spectrum SportsNet. Horry cited Bryant's moxie and relentlessness as key factors in his efficacy (relatively) last night.
"We're gonna need that hustle [from Bryant in the] next game," Horry said. "In all honesty, we're gonna need that from Thomas Bryant, if AD's gonna be out [for a while], because that hustle, that energy, you gotta have that."
The 6'10" big man out of Indiana University is currently in the midst of his second tour of duty with the Lakers, with whom he played his rookie season during the 2017-18 season.
Should he get starter's minutes again tonight (which seems likely), he could capitalize on a solid two-man game he has been developing with Russell Westbrook, he will be looking for Bryant around the rack as Brodie (ahem) racks up the assists tonight in what should be a stat-stuffing road venture against the Toronto Raptors that L.A. will likely lose by 20.
