Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register and Michael Rosenberg of Sports Illustrated criticized Bynum for his summer activities and not expecting complications based on his history with injuries and recovery time. Bynum came off the bench in his first game of the season on December 14 in a 103–89 win over the Wizards. He finished with 17 minutes, 1-of-5 from the field, seven points, four rebounds and two blocks. "I feel light-years better than back [in Game 7 of 2010 NBA Finals]", he said. In his first 24 games played during the season, Bynum averaged 24.6 minutes per game and 27.4 minutes in 17 games as a starter. Jackson was limiting Bynum's minutes in an attempt to minimize his risk of injury. At the All-Star break, Jackson discussed with Bynum that his primary role should be to defend and rebound—not score. It was a role Bynum had previously resisted. On March 8, Bynum had his third straight game with at least 16 rebounds and had 50 rebounds and 12 blocks in that span. As the Lakers went 8–0 after the All-Star break, Bynum had 10 or more rebounds five times and blocked three or more shots four times while the Lakers held opponents to just 87 points per game. The Lakers revised their defense to have big men no longer were responsible for the perimeter against guards coming off screens, and Lakers' defenders would instead funnel the plays inside to Bynum. On March 14, Bynum tied his career high in rebounds with 18 against Howard and the Magic. On March 20, Bynum was suspended for two games by the NBA for a flagrant foul on Michael Beasley of the Minnesota Timberwolves. On April 5, in a loss to the Utah Jazz, he grabbed a career high 23 rebounds. On April 12 against the San Antonio Spurs, Bynum hyper-extended his right knee  A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam revealed he had a bruised knee, and he missed the last game of the regular season. Bynum ended the season averaging 11 points, 12 rebounds and 2.4 blocks after the All-Star break. He returned to the lineup for the start of the playoffs. After the Lakers defeated the New Orleans Hornets in the first round, 4–2, Hornets head coach Monty Williams said, "Kobe's Kobe, but I thought Bynum decided the series. He was that good." In the Lakers' second-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks, Bynum was ejected in the final game of the Mavericks' four-game sweep for a flagrant foul on J. J. Barea moments after teammate Lamar Odom was ejected for fouling Dirk Nowitzki.