Robert Horry breaks down Thomas Bryant's impact on LA Lakers

Thomas Bryant has been essential to the LA Lakers' recent victories. Taking a closer look at what Bryant is doing to help the Lakers, former NBA champion Robert Horry broke down the big man's activity in the paint.

Thomas Bryant was a surprise pick for the LA Lakers in the offseason. After spending his rookie season with the Lakers, Bryant was offered up in a trade that saw him join the Washington Wizards.

He enjoyed some success in Washington but his stint was marred by unfortunate injuries. However, he displayed enough to garner the attention of the Lakers' front office this offseason.

Acquiring Bryant as a backup big man for Anthony Davis appears a solid move, and the young center has taken everyone by surprise with his recent performances.

In Davis' absence due to injury, Thomas Bryant has stepped up big time and is filling in for the Lakers' superstar nicely. His impact on the game has been felt as the Lakers racked up a five-game winning streak prior to their game in Denver.

The Spectrum SportsNets' crew also took a closer look at what Bryant was doing to help the Lakers win. In this regard, former NBA champion Robert Horry placed particular emphasis on Bryant's activity in the paint. He said:

"The thing about Thomas Bryant is what he does, not just offensively, but defensively. Defensively he's going to show you how he can be big in the paint, but more importantly, run the lane."

Horry showcased a play where Bryant actively scanned empty spaces in the defense and responded accordingly. His impact on defense allowed the Lakers to break out in transition with the young center also running the floor.

Horry showed more plays where Bryant impacted the floor spacing and rotation on the offensive side of things. With several fundamentally sound decisions paving the way for solid basketball, Horry had to conclude by saying:

"When your big man plays good defense, you've got to give them a little sugar because they deserve that. Because sometimes the bigs don't get enough credit for the defensive possessions they do when they don't block shots."

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Thomas Bryant fills in for Anthony Davis

The LA Lakers suffered a massive blow when Anthony Davis went down with an injury. However, the team have bounced back from this quite positively. A huge reason for this has been Thomas Bryant's performances.

Since Davis was sidelined, Bryant has given the Purple and Gold put in a tremendous effort. As an active presence on both ends of the floor, Bryant has been one of the team's leading contributors.

The previous game against the Sacramento Kings was undoubtedly one of his best performances. Notching 29 points and 14 rebounds for the game, the 25-year-old made vital contributions to ensure a win for the Lakers.

Considering the efficiency with which he is scoring, the big man is making a solid case for himself to be in the starting lineup alongside Davis. With LeBron James also offering praise to Bryant, the youngster has garnered a lot of positive attention.

Read: Report: Anthony Davis is expecting early return from injury as per LA Lakers