Detroit Pistons Season Review: Center Andre Drummond (Part One)

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In a season where everything seemed to go wrong for the Detroit Pistons, Andre Drummond was one of the lone exceptions. The franchise center took a considerable leap forward in 2017-18.

For the first five seasons of his career with the Detroit Pistons, something was holding Andre Drummond back.

It wasn’t free-throw shooting or transition defense. What prevented the 24-year-old from truly elevating his game had nothing to do with basketball.

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The culprit? A deviated septum that Drummond had dealt with since birth.

Shameek Mohile, a former editor for PistonPowered, wrote an in-depth piece analyzing this condition last August. Below is an excerpt from that post.

"One of the most detrimental complications from having a deviated septum is restless or disturbed sleep from not being able to breathe comfortably at night. Lack of quality sleep can cause a myriad of issues including mood alteration, cause a lack of concentration, as well as impaired physical performance, especially in high-endurance sports like basketball."

Drummond had surgery to correct this problem following the 2016-17 season. It was a success, and for the first time in his life, he was able to breathe out of both nostrils.

Detroit’s man in the middle went on to average 15.0 points, 16.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in 2017-18. His rebound and assist averages were each career-highs. It was also the second time in the last three seasons that Drummond earned an All-Star appearance and captured the rebounding title.

Fine at the line

Drummond’s career average at the free-throw line was 38 percent entering this season. He blew that out of the water. The center shot 61 percent in 2017-18. Now that still isn’t ideal. But for Drummond, it kept him on the floor in pressure situations. The Hack-A-Dre strategy was effectively dead.

An increase of that magnitude (up 22 percentage points from last season) is rare. The fact that it took one summer to fix his free-throw dilemma is almost unthinkable. So how was it done?

Only Drummond can answer that question. But there was a noticeable change in his form. First, his knees were bent in a triple threat position. Second, he held the ball farther away from his chest. Third, his entire body rose in one motion. Finally, he released the ball at the apex of his ascent and held his follow through.

Post passing

By becoming a willing passer, Drummond was able to triple his career assist average this season. He made 34.9 passes per game in 2017-18, compared to just 22.9 in 2016-17. Having Drummond play the role of distributor opened up the lane for his teammates.

In the clip above, Drummond receives an entry pass near the top of the key. He waits for Tobias Harris to set a screen for Langston Galloway.

Once Galloway breaks free, he starts cutting to the basket. Drummond hits him in stride, and Galloway finishes with an uncontested layup.

This next video also begins with Drummond holding the ball up top. Reggie Bullock notices an open lane, and he too sprints inside on a basket cut. As three defenders try to contain Bullock, Drummond fires a bounce pass where only he can get it. The shooting guard then takes care of the rest.

Prior to this season, Drummond had never posted an assist percentage higher than six percent. Per Basketball Reference, this stat estimates the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted on while he was in the game. He finished with 14.3 percent in 2017-18, more than doubling his career high.

Detroit asked a lot of their franchise corner this year. Drummond was tasked with making more decisions in half-court sets. A big man must be able to pass in different situations. He displayed the ability to do so, which should give Pistons’ fans confidence moving forward.

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