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Detroit Pistons: Where does Andre Drummond rank at his position?

By Travis Gibbs

SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 19: Andre Drummond #0 of the Detroit Pistons looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on March 19, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 19: Andre Drummond #0 of the Detroit Pistons looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on March 19, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Detroit Pistons have watched Andre Drummond continue to improve multiple areas of his game. Where does HoopsHabit rank him on their list of the 30 starting centers in the league?

The Detroit Pistons drafted Andre Drummond with the ninth overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. Since then, he’s become a vital part to the organization.

Drummond has been apart of two All Star teams. He’s led the league in rebounding twice in his career. He was the player that former head coach Stan Van Gundy tried to build around for the past few seasons.

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Plans haven’t exactly worked the way they have wanted it too. Van Gundy is out. The Pistons have missed the playoffs in each of the last two seasons now. None of the pieces around Drummond have been permanent ones.

The only consistent piece around Drummond has been Reggie Jackson. Even that’s a stretch when you think about it. He’s missed a ton of games over the last two seasons.

Drummond has been the most durable player on this team it seems. Gerald Bourguet from HoopsHabit ranked every starting center in the NBA heading into the new season. Where does he rank Drummond?

Andre Drummond ranked 11th

The Detroit Pistons’ center was placed in the upper half of the league but just outside of the top ten. Here are Bourguet’s thoughts on Drummond:

"“Every season, an NBA big allegedly adds a 3-point shot to his arsenal, and this summer, that big was Andre Drummond. However, even if that proves to be a mirage, the Detroit Pistons‘ starting center is still one of the league’s best big men.Not only is he rebounding at levels that would impress Dennis Rodman, but he’s an improving scorer and playmaker in the frontcourt. Last year, the 25-year-old posted 15.0 points, 16.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.5 steals per game.If he can continue to add nuance to his game and finally become the defensive anchor this franchise needs to return to the playoffs, he could even catapult himself into the top 10 centers in the association. It’ll be interesting to see how that all plays out under new head coach Dwane Casey in his first full season along Blake Griffin.”"

There are some things to take note of with Drummond. The first one is that he’s received a fair amount of criticism over his career.

Drummond hit a career high in rebounds last season and led the league once again. His free throw percentage increased from below 40 percent to over 60 percent. Drummond had 237 assists last season.

That’s more than he’s had in the last three seasons combined. Drummond had 10.3 win shares last season. That’s a career high as well. Drummond also had a 22.9 player efficiency rating, another career high.

His biggest criticism currently is the lack of variety he possesses on the offensive end of the floor. He can’t stretch the floor with his shooting abilities. Drummond truly hasn’t been effective unless he’s right under the basket.

However, it’s an area of his game he’s been working on in the off-season. Plenty of footage has surfaced of him practicing his outside game.

Case for being higher in the rankings

There are three players that are ahead of Drummond this list that are a bit surprising. Steven Adams, DeAndre Jordan, and Clint Capela all cracked the top 10 of these rankings.

Drummond averaged more points, assists, and rebounds than all three of these players. He even had a higher free throw percentage than all three of these players!

It’s just humorous to point that out since a lot of fans still try to take jabs at that area of his game.

These three players were all much more efficient scoring the basketball than Drummond. His 52 percent from the field was the lowest out of the four.

However, Adams played with a guy that gets a triple double almost on a nightly basis. That sure takes a lot of pressure off of him.

Capela played with the guy who won the MVP award this season. A guy named Chris Paul was also his point guard. It’s not much of a surprise that these two were much more efficient than Drummond.

Andre Drummond should be considered a top ten center in this league.

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