Andre Drummond’s struggles worth the potential reward
By Dan Feldman
"Drummond is the Pistons’ best young player since Grant Hill, and he gives Detroit a rare opportunity to aim for championships. Few teams ever get their hands on a player like Drummond, and the Pistons must do their best not to squander this opportunity.Everything they do — from determining on-court schemes to building the roster — should be done with the larger goal of contending in a few years. If he develops as hoped, Drummond could lead a title team.And if he doesn’t develop as hoped, who cares? This team won’t be going anywhere anyway.That’s why his struggles, a product of coach Stan Van Gundy assigning him more responsibility, can be tolerated.Drummond’s virtue has been doing only what he’s dominant at and limiting his exposure to his weaknesses. There’s real value in that skill, more than often is credited.But the Pistons shouldn’t have gone on and on with their big man only crashing the glass, scoring on putbacks and pick-and-rolls and eschewing sound defense for blocks and steals.They need to know the extent of Drummond’s capabilities, even if the process of attaining that information is unsettling.It’s jarring to see Drummond — the team’s best player the last two years — fail so miserably, especially with Van Gundy as his new coach. Van Gundy brought high expectations to Detroit, specifically for Drummond, after helping Dwight Howard develop into the NBA’s best center. But Drummond is not Dwight Howard, who was an All-Star before Van Gundy arrived in Orlando.Drummond needs time, more than I expected (or, at least, hoped), to elevate his game.The Pistons have no choice but to accept that.For two years, they asked very little of Drummond, and he demolished all expectations. I wish they would have put more on his plate sooner to accelerate this process, but it’s too late to reverse the blunders of Lawrence Frank, Maurice Cheeks and John Loyer.Van Gundy is making up for lost time, frequently calling Drummond post-ups and demanding defensive excellence from the big man. Drummond can’t yet deliver quality results, but these reps will help him grow.And if the Pistons wind up tanking the season by force-feeding Drummond, I wouldn’t necessarily mind.Look, I’d prefer that he improves drastically and quickly to lead the Pistons into the playoffs, even if they fall quickly in the first round. But Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s status as the team’s second-most valuable player — a title Greg Monroe relinquished by accepting his qualifying offer in order to become an unrestricted free agent next summer — speaks to how much Detroit needs more young talent. Another trip to the NBA draft lottery has benefits.If the goal is maximizing the roster around Drummond in a couple years, his large role now could help both by developing his skills and giving Detroit an opportunity to bolster its supporting cast."