A follower sent this link of an SI.com article titled “OKC exploits Andrew Bynum’s weakness” which turned out to be a pretty interesting an informative read. They use an array of videos to pretty much dissect how OKC …well, dissected Bynum, saying, “No opponent game-plans around exploiting a Howard weakness on defense like it does with Bynum.” It’s always entertaining to watch Bynum on defense, since an engaged Bynum can not only protect the basket, but at times step out and guard opposing guards.

… it’s important to understand that this problem does not mean Bynum is a bad defensive player. If your biggest issue is a vulnerability to mid-range jumpers against star mid-range shooters, that’s about the least-harmful flaw you can have. Bynum is a beast of a post defender when he’s engaged, he changes piles of shots at the rim and he’s one of the best defensive rebounders in the league. The Lakers gave up about 2.5 fewer points per 100 possessions when Bynum was on the floor during the regular season, per NBA.com. And Bynum can make up for his down days on defense by scorching opponents in the post when the Lakers have the ball; he looked pretty darn powerful early in Game 1 against the Thunder on the block.

But he has weaknesses on defense, and unfortunately for the Lakers, they have run into two teams well positioned to attack those weaknesses. The Nuggets used Kenneth Faried, JaVale McGee and Al Harrington to run Bynum to death in transition during the first round, and though Bynum’s effort in getting back was blatantly lacking at times, he was also at a speed disadvantage that no amount of effort was going to overcome. In this round, with the Lakers working as big underdogs to begin with, the Thunder have gone at him the same way Paul did in raining mid-range jumpers on Los Angeles in last year’s first round.

The net result: In eight playoff games, the Lakers have allowed 109 points per 100 possessions with Bynum on the floor and 98.9 when he has been on the bench, per NBA.com. That’s roughly the difference between the league’s fifth- or sixth-ranked defense and one that would have ranked last in the regular season.