You might not always have a lot to do when you are a big man playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.
That’s because the team has one of the greatest power forwards/centers in the NBA: Anthony Davis.
Davis was showing just how tremendous he is all season long with his phenomenal 27.4 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists a game.
But he was sadly injured – again – and is still out for the foreseeable future.
Thomas Bryant tonight:
29 points
14 rebounds— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) January 8, 2023
Thankfully, Thomas Bryant has answered the call and has been playing some terrific basketball for the team.
He had his best night yet on Saturday, scoring 29 points and 14 rebounds in the Lakers’ big win over the Sacramento Kings.
This was just the latest impressive showing from Bryant, who came to the Lakers with a desire to prove himself and win.
Bryant actually played for LA years ago.
He was in purple and gold during his rookie year, but scored just 1.5 points and 1.1 rebounds in only 4.8 minutes a game.
A lot has changed since then: he developed his game more with the Washington Wizards for several seasons before he came back to Los Angeles in the summer.
When Bryant was drafted, he was very open about his dreams of making a name for himself with the Lakers.
But he knew it would be tough because he would be living in Davis’ shadow.
Bryant didn’t play at the start of the season and remained on the bench.
When he finally checked into the game, he was scoring an admirable but not wildly impressive amount.
That has changed and now Bryant is averaging 12.9 points and 7.2 rebounds for the season, with a 68.5% field goal percentage.
With Davis gone, the Lakers need a lot of help to keep themselves treading water.
Bryant has been eager to show he can give them what they need.
NEXT: LeBron James Has Been Amazing Since His Birthday