Detroit Pistons: Andre Drummond under spotlight vs. Bucks

Andre Drummond has not been good against the Milwaukee Bucks this year. The Detroit Pistons need him to be great New Year’s Day in Fiserv Forum.

The Detroit Pistons are an organization in grief going into their first game of the year and the third contest against the Milwaukee Bucks tonight in Fiserv Forum.

The consistency that coach Dwane Casey has repeatedly emphasized has not found its way to the floor, and the Pistons have fallen two games below the .500 mark.

In stark contrast, the Bucks have won eight of their last ten and sit at the top most of the power rankings as the NBA’s best squad thus far.

Blake Griffin and Giannis Antetokounmpo are leading two very eastern conference franchises this season and those differences will come to a head tonight in Milwaukee.

Detroit Pistons can win if..

The Detroit Pistons could use some production from Andre Drummond in tonight’s game.

It’s something the team has not been able to get out of the star center in either of the two games preceding. In both matchups, Drummond only scored 10 points and a 36.7 percent shooting from the field.

Adding insult to injury, the 25-year old will have Brook Lopez on the defensive end drawing Drummond out of the post with his ability to knock down the three-point shot.

In their previous meetings, Lopez did not shoot beyond the three-point line exceptionally well but was efficient enough (37.5 percent) to play decoy and space the floor.

Over Milwaukee’s last three games, Lopez has shot 40.7 percent from beyond the arc and 48.8 percent from the floor.

The defensive strategy for Lopez has seemingly kept Drummond out of rhythm, but the problem is that it cannot change.

The Bucks have only gained speed this season and require a length, athleticism and defensive awareness on each part of the floor that the Pistons do not have.

If Drummond disappears in this game, the Detroit Pistons will continue their trend backwards.

With no Ish Smith in sight, the Detroit Pistons will look to Bruce Brown and Reggie Jackson for a bulk of their production at the point.

It’s bad luck for the Pistons that neither player has been as effective as they need to be against the Bucks this season. Reggie Jackson has been placed in a role he appears to be uncomfortable in.

Bruce Brown is developing into a key defender for the Detroit Pistons, but is offensively lacking. Slowing down Malcolm Brogdon and Eric Bledsoe is one thing.

Brown cannot bank solely on being able to cap a 44.3 percent three-point shooter like Brogdon without being able to contribute a comparable offense.

Bledsoe has burnt Jackson in both previous meetings, shooting from 51.5 percent from the floor and throwing a defensive rating of 97 into the fold.

That’s only the piece of the pie that doesn’t hold the three-point shooting of Khris Middleton and the three-point line dunking ability of Giannis Antetokounmpo filling.

Plainly stated, the Bucks are a handful that the Pistons may not be capable of handling.

A team meeting, which the players reportedly held after an embarrassing loss to the Indiana Pacers, is normal, but how effective it will be has yet to be seen.

A different tune may be present if Orlando Magic’s Evan Fournier doesn’t hit the game-winner against the Detroit Pistons in their last game.

How much can a team meeting help the shots fall, keep the energy up and re-surge two of Detroit’s most important players, Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond?

The Pistons don’t have an identity outside of Blake Griffin and head coach Dwane Casey’s Coach of the Year resume.

Against a team like the Milwaukee Bucks, Drummond and the Detroit Pistons will need to be aggressive on both ends of the floor and play with efficiency that matches Coach Bud’s squad. If not, things will get ugly and fast.