Another bold step for Bynum

There has been much gnashing of teeth this Lakers season about young, talented Andrew Bynum. Much nervous attention cast his way, a product of last year’s surprising improvement and the sense that if he ever harnesses his talent, purple and gold confetti will fall on yet another Lakers championship trophy.

Then there’s the new contract. Four years and $57.4 million tend to up the ante and weigh heavy on a player like Bynum, who is 21 and still in the process of learning a game he only became serious about late in high school.

So an intriguing question swirled around Thursday’s game against the Washington Wizards, giving what would have been a soon-to-be-forgotten blowout against an awful team, a dose of extra interest. Was the previous Lakers contest, Bynum’s outburst against the Clippers, a spectacular, 42-point, 15-rebound tease, or a sign of things to come?

Has Mr. Bynum made the great leap forward?

From the start against the Wizards, Bynum began to answer that question. He was strong on the glass and smart on defense, weak spots that this year have been repeatedly harped on by Coach Phil Jackson.

And on offense, get this: In the first half, when the game was still on the line, Bynum was the Lakers’ hinge-point. First quarter, he scored eight smooth points on an assortment of dipping lay-ups, turnaround jumpers and a driving dunk. Yes, he was battling the Wizards’ Andray Blatche, who west of Washington nobody knows. But this after all was NBA competition and every move the still slightly gangly center made indicated he is beginning to feel as if he belongs.

Bynum sat on the bench for much of the second quarter. For much of it, there was no need for his services, what with bench players also feasting on the Wizards, who brought a 9-32 record to L.A. Still, once Bynum got onto the court, with only about five minutes left in the half, he did his work quickly, scoring another eight points.

“Andrew was good,” said Jackson, speaking of the outburst, keeping his assessment of Bynum extremely sparse and low key -- as if he doesn’t want to mess with the recent magic, or have praise go to his center’s head.

So we had one half, 16 points -- and get this, nine rebounds. Where was this headed? When the second half began and he scored the first two points, you wondered if maybe he’d hit 40 again.

By reaching that plateau against the Clippers, Bynum became the 20th player in the NBA this season to score more than 40 points. Given that this season he has mostly looked timid -- perhaps shaking the rust off after last season ended under a surgeon’s knife -- this was a big surprise. Let me be more accurate. Given that in December he played in a funk, that just last week he grabbed one paltry rebound against Houston, and that he was then dragged all night through the mud by Dwight Howard, Andrew Bynum scoring 40 points was monumental.

Where did this come from? Bynum spoke after the game about hard work he’s put in, focusing on his footwork. He said it has helped to watch tapes comparing last year with the loping body-language he’s had for much of this year. He said he is simply feeling more aggressive.

But to locate a moment that may have been the cause, we can actually look to Monday, when LeBron James and the Cavaliers came to town. In a telling moment, the game still fresh and tense, Bynum locked horns with James, who was driving forcefully to the hoop when he came up against a tangle of Bynum’s arms and hands, a hard forearm shiver added for emphasis. James became unhinged, probably surprised by who was doing the bullying.

From the quiet, unassuming Bynum, this was a major statement. It told his teammates he can provide some beef in the middle. It proved to himself that aggression pays.

Nobody expects Bynum to suddenly have turned into the second coming of Shaq -- but what will it mean to the Lakers if Bynum is morphing into something very good and very consistent?

Before Thursday’s hammering of the Wizards, in the 33 games the Lakers won, Bynum had averaged 14.2 points and 8.5 rebounds. In the Lakers eight losses, those numbers shrunk to 9.9 points and 5.4 rebounds. When he plays well, they win, it’s that simple.

The beauty of the NBA is that it is a marathon made up of 82 sprints. It’s early yet. Bynum, who in limited minutes Thursday finished with game-highs of 23 points and 14 rebounds, is showing signs he’s in the midst of making a leap forward.

But a reminder, the Clippers and the Wizards don’t offer enough for us to give a full assessment.

On Sunday, Game 43 this season, the Spurs and Tim Duncan come to Staples. Now that will be a measuring stick.

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kurt.streeter@latimes.com