Detroit Pistons’ Andre Drummond is taking the next step
For the Detroit Pistons to be formidable this season they needed Andre Drummond to become their franchise player.
Sure he’s been viewed as that type of player for a couple seasons now, but he has yet to actually achieve that status–despite the max deal that Tom Gores is already willing to pay.
Franchise players lead on and off the court. Drummond showed his leadership this offseason when he put the team ahead of himself by forgoing the max deal this offseason so that the team could be better built around him next offseason.
To put that into perspective, Drummond sacrificed a surefire $120 million contract for the exact same amount next offseason, all for the sake of the team.
That’s what franchise players do.
On the court Drummond had a lot of work to do if he were ever going to live up to the hype of being the franchise player.
Last season Drummond wasted too many minutes on the floor.
His play was often lethargic, especially the more tired he got. His free throw shooting was abysmal and he fouled too much, which left him sitting on the bench much longer than he should have. It also kept him out of critical parts of the game.
Then there were the issues on the defensive side of the ball, where he couldn’t consistently stay in front of his man or play team defense.
So what did Drummond do?
He slimmed down, he improved his free throw shooting from 38.9% from last season to 66.7% so far this season (including an 8-11 night against the Jazz). He’s doing a better job staying in front of people and being in good position in help defense which is resulting in less fouls and more playing time.
He’s also playing in crucial stretches of the game because Stan Van Gundy no longer fears other teams sending him to the free throw line.
As a result, the Pistons are 2-0 for the Drummond’s time in his career, a position they couldn’t find themselves in without the hard work he put in during the offseason.
That’s what franchise players do.
I’m not suggesting that two games is a large enough sample size to determine the type of player Drummond is going to be this season.
His free throw shooting could take a turn for the worse, and his post-up game still has a lot of ground to cover, but the eye test says that Drummond’s a better player this year. His free throw shot looks softer and more consistent, and he seems determined to win. He’s said he’s tired of losing, and his actions this offseason proves that.
So while Drummond may not have reached his ceiling yet, he’s definitely proved he’s worthy of being the Pistons’ franchise player, and he looks to have taken another step in that direction.
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