Thomas Bryant Selected No. 42 by the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers

Thomas Bryant got the news this evening that he will continue his basketball career in the NBA as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Following his two seasons at Indiana, Bryant elected to head to the NBA. So what does he bring to the Lakers?

Bryant makes a big presence to the middle of the court with his obvious size at 6’10”, 256 pounds and a seven-foot wingspan. While he has good size for an NBA big man, he also showed some good shooting touch during his time at Indiana, especially in his sophomore season. In 2016-’17, he shot 38% from beyond the three point line, albeit on only 60 attempts.

He also brings a lot of emotion while on the floor and could emerge as a guy who can have an impact not only on the floor, but also an emotional leader for an NBA team. He’s not quite cut out of the same mold as a Draymond Green type emotional guy, but he did an admirable job trying to hold a team together during a tumultuous season in Bloomington this past year.

Thomas Bryant can bring a lot of things to the floor and he’s been an efficient scorer at Indiana, shooting 55.6% from the floor while a fair amount of his shots came from outside the paint, even for a player with his size. He also shoots 73% from the free throw line, so fouling him is not quite the strategy that it has become against other big men in the NBA.

In taking Thomas Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers are getting somebody who can defend in the post, has the athletic ability to block shots and spark fast breaks, and if he can be put in the right spots on the floor and through the course of the game to fit his strengths, he could certainly be a valuable member of a rotation in the NBA.