The impact of Andre Drummond’s free throws

 Andre Drummond had a breakout year for the Detroit Pistons in 2015-16, but there’s still one area of his game that needs tremendous improvement.

After an underwhelming season for Andre Drummond in 2014-15, he was determined to get better in the summer. That determination resulted in his best season as a pro, and his first All-Star nod. Drummond developed an inside game, with a newly discovered jump hook. Despite the improvements, one part of Drummond’s game didn’t change; his free throw shooting.

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Think of fans going wild and cheering emphatically. Did the Pistons just win the NBA championship? Nope that’s what you see and hear when Andre Drummond hits back-to-back free throws. Bad free throw shooting is nothing new for Piston’s centers. Detroit fans watched Ben Wallace shoot 41 percent from the line over nine seasons, and thought it couldn’t get worse, right? Well four years into Drummond’s career he has surpassed Wallace’s mark by shooting an abysmal 38 percent and 35.5 percent this past season.

Although the issue seems black and white, Drummond’s free throw woes affect the team in more ways than one. First and most obvious is that he’s costing the team points. It’s called the charity stripe for a reason.

The bigger issue is the “Hack-a-Dre” strategy teams are using. Teams are intentionally fouling Drummond with, or without him having the ball to force him to shoot free throws. More often than not it works. Teams tend to start fouling when the Pistons get into a groove on offense.

Related Story: Will Andre Drummond and the Detroit Pistons do enough?

All momentum is immediately stopped and the team is forced into empty trips down the floor. Frustrated and angry, Van Gundy has no choice but to pull Drummond and rely on Aron Baynes. Baynes is more than capable of helping the team, but you want your star in when you can.

This leads to arguably the biggest problems associated with Andre’s free throw troubles, the fourth quarter. It’s in the final two minutes when you need your stars most, but for the Pistons, their star is usually on the bench. Drummond gets visibly upset riding the bench at the end of games, but understands the situation. At his extension press conference he did infer that he may have found a new form:

The Pistons just handed Drummond a five-year max deal worth almost $130 million, and expect him to improve. For his sake, and the sanity of Pistons fans, let’s hope he can figure it out.