Bismack Biyombo
The last five Most Valuable Player awards have gone to big men who are considered borderline unstoppable in the paint:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Nikola Jokić
- Joel Embiid
Right now, it’s a big man’s world, and we are just trying to live in it. With such talent near the rim, it is essential that teams have numerous options in order to try and blunt these elite big men down low.
Don’t get it twisted, you can’t stop these guys, you can only hope to contain them.
In Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers have one of, if not the best defensive big man in the NBA. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride when it comes to defensive player of the year, AD is known to strike fear in the hearts of opposing big men.
However, Davis has a well-known injury history which seems to limit his availability in all 82 games of an NBA regular season. It is essential to have additional defensive options in order to make sure that in case of emergency, you have a rim protector capable of limiting the above superstars.
While his numbers aren’t stellar across the board, it is on the defensive end, especially around the rim where Biyombo is most effective. He stops people at the rim consistently and offers energy and enthusiasm off the bench.
However, don’t count on him for any form of offense. He lacks any sort of jump shot, has limited post moves, and is putrid from the free throw line.
His defensive upside is important and with several members of the Lakers roster capable of scoring in bunches, having a back-up defensive anchor could be an important acquisition for the purple and gold.