Andrew Bynum probably never found the need to be tough. Seven footers in New Jersey prep basketball programs tend to get their points and rebounds with ease. The former St. Joseph High School superstar might have had toughness installed in him had he accepted a scholarship offer from Jim Calhoun at the University of Connecticut in 2005. Instead, Bynum entered the NBA Draft and became one of the final high school age players to be selected before the rule change enforcing at least one year of college play. Since being taken by the Los Angeles Lakers, Bynum’s toughness and will to win has be questioned on a year to year basis.

The questions can stop now. We finally have our answer as to when Andrew Bynum would bring the tenacity to the floor that every great Center needs. The 2010 NBA Finals are tied at 2-2 in large part due to the fact that Bynum is even on the floor. Bynum needs surgery on a torn meniscus in his knee, similar to the injuries that knocked him out of the last two postseasons, but is refusing to have surgery until the Finals are concluded. His seven blocks in Game 1 of this championship round set the tone for the Lakers to capture another championship.

The labels of “soft” and “underachiever” are hard to break for an athlete, but Bynum is going a long way to winning over his teammates and fans. Maybe Kobe Bryant has rubbed off on him, or maybe NBA fans misread his brittle body as a lack of effort. Either way, Bynum may look like an old man hobbling up and down the court, but he is acting precisely how the Lakers hoped he would when he was drafted: tougher than he looks.