The Raptors visited Los Angeles tonight and went away with a 93-110 loss to the Lakers. On the second night of back-to-back games, Drew Timme played 16 minutes for the Lakers after a solid outing against the Trail Blazers last night.
He finished tonight with only three points, three rebounds, and two assists while shooting 1-4 from the field (25.0%) and 1-2 from beyond the arc (50.0%). But he was defensively solid, with a +17 net (+/-) rating for the game.
Timme spoke to the media at the postgame press conference and addressed his feelings about breaking into the player rotation for the Lakers. He recalled his time in Gonzaga, where he broke the record for scoring, and how he initially was made to feel like he didn’t belong.
“In college and since I’ve left, it’s you can’t do this, you can’t do that, you’re not good enough for this and that. All these things that I can’t do. And I see it, and it’s fuel,” said Timme.
“At the end of the day, I’m a good player. I believe in myself and my abilities, and I believe that I can impact the game at any level, anywhere. To be able to have this opportunity and to be able to help the team, it’s great.”
From going undrafted in 2023 to bouncing around in multiple G League teams, Timme seems to be in search of a stable role in the NBA for himself. The Lakers may have found a solid short-term solution, which could potentially be a long-term solution for the lack of size on the roster after signing Drew Timme.
The former NCAA player recently broke into the team rotation after they were plagued with injuries against the Trail Blazers yesterday. He finished last night with 21 points, four assists, two rebounds, and two steals while shooting 9-12 from the floor (75.0%) and 3-4 from the three-point line (75.0%).
The Lakers’ veteran LeBron James, as well as the head coach, JJ Redick, were thoroughly impressed with Timme’s performance last night and found a way to play him today as well. After the game tonight, Redick addressed the press conference as well and gave his honest opinion on Timme.
“Oh, he was great. You know, he certainly earned a spot coming off last night where he played phenomenal, and you know, you get the clipboard, just you know, we had talked about it, so I knew it was coming.”
“But it’s still a little jarring to see, you know, Vando, Drew, DA, like it’s LeBron, you know, that’s a big lineup. And they did a good job of playing out of the post during that stretch, and we also were able to get some stops and run. So, I thought they did a good job.”
Redick was not only impressed with Timme but also excited about the prospect of using a big lineup in the future. We have seen with teams like the Rockets that size is beneficial in multiple ways on the court.
If the Lakers plan to experiment with the big lineup again in the future, Drew Timme will certainly find his way into the mix. While it is promising to see young talent get an opportunity during the regular season, if he lands a regular contract with the team instead of a two-way, Timme still needs a lot more experience to be a high-impact stretch big for the Lakers.
Therefore, the Lakers need to be patient with him and ensure he gets the appropriate exposure wherever possible, and they may have found a solution to their shooting woes.
The Lakers have improved to 25-16 following tonight’s win and will face the Nuggets in Denver on Tuesday, January 20. It will be interesting to see if Timme develops into a regular rotation player for the Lakers after these two games.
