Lakers Draft Andrew Bynum

TIMESUNION.COM: EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Instead of shooting for immediate help following one of the worst seasons in franchise history, the Los Angeles Lakers looked to the future Tuesday night, making 17-year-old center Andrew Bynum the youngest player ever taken in the NBA draft.

The Lakers took Bynum with the 10th overall selection despite the fact that highly touted, experienced players such as Sean May, Hakim Warrick, Joey Graham and Antoine Wright were available. All might have made an immediate contribution to a team that missed the playoffs this season for just the second time since 1976.

But Bynum’s potential was too much for the Lakers to overlook.

“He’s a player we scouted numerous times,” general manager Mitch Kupchak said. “You don’t get an opportunity to get a center very often. He’s been recognized as one of the best centers in high school basketball.

“If he works and he’s competitive, he has a chance to be a very good center. He is truly a back-to-the-basket center. We’re very happy that we have a player we can plug into the `5′ spot. One thing we particularly needed going forward was a center.”

The Lakers know all about star centers, with George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal among the pivot men of their past.

All were focal points of championship teams.

“I want to bring back the skyhook, which Kareem left behind there,” Bynum said. “That’s one of my favorite shots. I know a lot about Shaq, I’m compared to Shaq because of my body type. (But) I can hit my free throws.”

Bynum said he shot 75 percent from the foul line.

Bynum, a 7-foot, 285-pounder, averaged 22 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots as a senior at St. Joseph High in Metuchen, N.J., last season, and 17 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks as a junior. He turns 18 on Oct. 27, making him 17 years, eight months and two days old when drafted.

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