L.A. Times: Andrew Bynum has a request for Coach Phil Jackson, something that’s more than a minor favor to ask — he wants more playing time in the fourth quarter.
The 21-year-old Lakers center has sat out the final minutes of the team’s last three close games.
He did not play the last 3:49 against Phoenix, the last 6:12 against Sacramento and the last 5:41 against Washington. He also sat out all but 12 seconds of the last 5:32 against Indiana.
“I don’t understand why I’m not in at the end of the game,” Bynum said. “It doesn’t make much sense to me, but it’s something I have to deal with. I haven’t been in foul trouble the last couple of games, so I have no idea.”
Bynum has struggled with pick-and-roll defense, and Jackson believes there is no margin for error in the late stages of tight games, of which there have been many for the Lakers.
“When he shows the ability to play defense appropriately, he’ll probably be there,” Jackson said. “Andrew’s doing really well and he’s making great progress, but there are times in the game down the stretch [where] we’ve got to have the best defenders, guys that have been through it — and that was the team we had last year in the playoffs. They know how to help each other.”
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