Lakers News: Thomas Bryant Capitalizing On Life Without Anthony Davis

LA's temporary starting center has been impressive.

Los Angeles Lakers reserve center Thomas Bryant has been an absolute steal on his veteran's minimum contract thus far this season. He has been the kind of rim-rolling interior presence on offense and glass-cleaning behemoth that LA was hoping he or Damian Jones would be when the club inked them this summer in free agency.

Jones is now out of LA's rotation, but Bryant has looked like a pretty competent starter since he stepped in for injured All-NBA big man Anthony Davis, out since December 16th with a right knee stress injury. 

Across his 16 games since taking over the starting role, Bryant has been averaging 15.4 points on a .614/.455/.768 slash line, 9.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks a night.

Bryant recently spoke with Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson about his making the most of his new, temporary gig as the starting man in the middle for the league's glamor franchise, during his second go-round with the club (he was also a Laker during his 2017-18 rookie season).

“I look at it as a big opportunity. I put pressure on myself because I can make those shots and I need to make those consistently and I can’t miss those, but you know, it’s the way of the game sometimes," Bryant said.

“One of the most motivating factors for me is to be consistent and be ready when my time is called,” Bryant continued.

Bryant also talked about striving to not be intimidated by the Lakers' cadre of well-compensated, decorated vets: 18-time All-Star, four-time MVP and four-time champ LeBron James, nine-time All-Star and 2017 MVP Russell Westbrook, eight-time All-Star Anthony Davis, and three-time All-Defensive Teamer Patrick Beverley.

“Coming onto this squad, you got the big dogs LeBron and AD along with Russ [Russell Westbrook], Pat Bev [Patrick Beverley], and [with] everybody else, you got to follow the lead and sometimes you have to wait for your number to be called. But it doesn’t change the fact that you need to be ready and stay ready and do what you can to make sure you’re in that mode in case something happens, and I take pride in the preparation that I have for that.”

These outsized minutes from Bryant may be getting scaled back soon, as recent reports suggested Davis could return before the All-Star break. But he has proven that he certainly deserves consideration in a larger role, even when Davis does return. Thanks to Bryant's excellent recent play, head coach Darvin Ham hinted at employing a jumbo-sized lineup featuring Bryant, Davis and James, all players listed at 6'9" or taller.