Examining the development of Andre Drummond
By Ricky LaBlue
The Detroit Pistons’ fourth-year center is inconsistent at times, but how has he progressed so far throughout his career?
Andre Drummond was a raw, athletic center coming out of college that had a lot of work to do to become one of the NBA’s premiere big men.
The Pistons knew this when they drafted him ninth overall in the 2012 NBA Draft. It’s safe to say Detroit made a solid selection, considering the players in the 2012 draft class. The only three players that can safely make a case of being an elite NBA player are the Pelicans’ Anthony Davis, the Blazers’ Damian Lillard and the Warriors’ Draymond Green. Both Davis and Lillard were drafted before Drummond.
Drummond might be better than most of his draft class, but is he developing and fulfilling his potential? Has he reached his ceiling?
Before I dive into thes complicated questions, we must remember that Drummond is only 22 years old and is in his fourth season in the league. There is plenty of time for him to grow and learn.
Offense
Drummond came into the league offensively challenged. He scored primarily by eating the offensive glass and being there for alley-oops. In Drummond’s first season, 81.6 percent of his shots came inside of three feet. As of February 11, just 60.1 percent of his attempts have come from that range.
Instead, Drummond has developed some semblance of a back to the basket game. He might not have a go-to move that’s really hard to stop, but he has improved in the post. In 2012, Drummond shot just 30 percent from 3-10 feet. Now, Drummond hits 40.6 percent of his shots in that area.
Drummond’s most noticeable improvement this season has been the ability to play in the pick and roll. According to NBA.com, Drummond connects on 64.6 percent of his shot attempts on pick and roll plays. That clip is higher than Timofey Mozgov, Nikola Pekovic, Marcin Gortat and Dwight Howard, to name a few.
Offensively, the biggest weakness for Drummond is his free throw shooting. I could go into detail about how poor Drummond is from the line and how that affects his team, but it’s obvious. When your star player shoots 35 percent from the line, problems arise.
Defense
Some criticize Drummond for a lack of effort on the defensive end, but the numbers look very good for him. He has improved on his defensive rating ever since his sophomore season and is second in the NBA in defensive win shares. He’s also in the top 15 in steals and blocks this season.
That being said, there are times where Drummond is slow to react and finds himself in foul trouble. However, Drummond is finding himself in foul trouble less often than before. This season, Drummond is committing 3.1 fouls per game, down from the last two seasons. And, after fouling out seven times last year, Drummond has only fouled out twice this season.
Rebounding
Drummond came into the NBA as a great rebounder, and he has become an elite one in his first four seasons. He leads the NBA currently in offensive, defensive and total rebounds. Drummond also leads the league in total rebounds percentage and in second in offensive rebounding percentage. If he keeps up the pace, Drummond will be the leading rebounder this season and could be one of the best of all-time.
His expertise in rebounding has spilled over to his offensive game. Drummond leads the NBA in points on put backs by 97 points and forces defenses to collapse around him on the glass, opening up lanes for others.
Drummond has become one of the best all-around centers in the NBA. I’d put him behind Demarcus Cousins, but ahead of everyone else.
He’s become a terrific rebounder, solid on both ends of the floor. His PER is slightly ahead of last season at 21.7, which places him just outside the top 20 players in the league. Despite Drummond’s success, his PER is behind several big men, including centers Hassan Whiteside, Cousins and Enes Kanter. Whiteside and Kanter might have higher ratings, but Drummond is more valuable than both of them and plays a much larger role in his team’s success.
Yes, Drummond is a premiere big man in the NBA, but there is room for improvement. If Drummond becomes more polished on the offensive end and learns how to rotate better on defense, he’ll be about as good as it gets on both ends of the floor. He’s got a ways to go, but Pistons fans have to be patient with the 22-year-old. He’s going to get a fat contract sometime before next season, and he’s earned every penny.