He almost lost his career for an ACL injury, he now is covering Davis in the Lakers

Even when the Lakers are struggling without Anthony Davis, something good has come up with his absence, the step-up of a 25 years old center that almost lost his career after being injured with an ACL.

When watching the young Center Thomas Bryant now, as he sprints up and down the court like a track star or crashes the glass with the force of a semi-truck, it's sometimes difficult to remember he is the same player who suffered an injury that limited him to just 34 games over the last two years.

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"This man missed a whole season because he had an ACL tear, and he's back out here busting his ass for us," said coach Darvin Ham about the young Center who is covering AD's role in the team, "Giving it everything he got on both sides of the basketball. That is what this is supposed to be about. That is our identity."

As a Laker, the Center is revving that same hot motor that helped him initially turn heads early in his career. After singing a one-year 'prove it' type contract, Bryant has thus far shown he is, most importantly, healthy and can put up numbers.

What Bryant means to the team

If Thomas Bryant holds, his 72.5% effective field-goal percentage will end up being the highest mark of his career. According to Cleaning the Glass, he currently ranks in the 94th percentile among all bigs this season; Bryant is becoming a key role player for coach Ham's roster.