Bynum's Got Game -- At Least Half Of It

Andrew Bynum is getting pretty good at slamming the ball through the hoop. Now all he has to do is remember there's another hoop at the other end of the court as well.

They don't play half-court basketball in the NBA.

Starting his third season in the league, the Lakers' 20-year-old center finished up the exhibition season Friday with his best offensive game. He hit seven of 10 shots from the floor against the Sacramento Kings and totaled 18 points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes.

His progress on defense, however, continues to lag.

"It's harder on defense because you've got to anticipate, you've got to see what's coming," said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Laker Hall of Fame center who serves as Bynum's personal coach. "Offense is more spontaneous. That's stuff you learn in fifth and sixth grade, but he's trying to learn it now."

Especially his transition defense, from scorer to defender.

"He takes a little bit of time to celebrate," Abdul-Jabbar said. "You see him smile. He's stoked about it, but hey, I wish was 19 or 20. I'd be having the same kind of fun.

"He's starting to recognize opportunities in the game, starting to gain wisdom about the game that you get from minutes [of playing time]."

Those minutes were nonexistent in college, which Bynum skipped to turn pro. He was the youngest player ever drafted, taken by the Lakers at 17 with the 10th pick in 2005.

"He never played a whole season in high school," Abdul-Jabbar said. "My first season of organized ball was fourth grade. His was 10th grade. That's six years. When you're young like that, it's crucial. It's harder to develop when you're older.

"He's at point now where he sees how he can use his physical gifts to affect the game and he's doing a better job of it."

Along with his lessons on the court, Bynum has been learning some harsh realities about life in the NBA. His name was prominent in off-season trade rumors and prominent as well in an infamous amateur video in which Kobe Bryant endorsed a Bynum trade if it would help the club.

Bynum just shrugs his large shoulders at such talk. Just another reminder he's not in high school anymore.

source : latimes.com