Every Detroit Pistons’ best game of the 2018-19 season
Andre Drummond
Drummond is a star who’s value is hard to accurately gauge. On one hand Drummond is a 25-year-old with seemingly limitless potential to add to the fact that he is already one of the game’s great rebounders. Drummond is an absolute freak of a big man that puts up double-doubles and 20-20 games like it was nothing.
He provides improved rim protection (1.7 blocks per game – 6th in NBA) and will make defenses pay for lazy passing with his quick hands and good anticipation (1.7 steals per game – 5th in NBA). Even more impressive is the fact that Drummond has improved his free throws from an NBA all-time record for lowest single season free throw percentage at 35.5 percent to a mediocre but vastly improved 59 percent.
This is the good Drummond.
On the other hand, Drummond is a guy with little to no offensive game outside of putbacks and dunking lobs. Critics of Drummond’s game are numerous. The fan base is absolutely split down the middle on their opinion of the Pistons franchise center.
light. Related Story. Should the Pistons offer Drummond a max contract in 2020?
The biggest knock on him is that he doesn’t put forth consistent effort, which admittedly makes no sense to me for a guy who consistently improves his game year-after-year and puts up monster rebounding games like it’s nothing. Rebounding is purely an effort statistic so how is it possible that someone who is at the top of offensive, defensive, and total rebounds year in and year out could be considered a lazy player?
The fans who praise Ben Wallace for his lack of offensive game and his expertise on defense and the glass are the same ones who knock Drummond for doing the exact same thing at a higher level. No disrespect at all to the four-time Defensive Player of the Year who is a Pistons great and a better defender than Drummond is at this point in his career. However, Drummond is already a better rebounder than Wallace statistically (Drummond averages 13.7 rebounds per game in his career to Wallace’s 9.7) and is without a doubt a better offensive option at 25 than Wallace could ever dream of becoming in his entire career (Drummond averages 14.7 points per game shooting 54 percent from the field in his career compared to Wallace’s 5.7 points shooting 47 percent).
If you look at the player speed and distance tracking statistics found on the official NBA website, you will find that Drummond is actually seventh amongst all NBA centers in distance ran per game (12,292.3 feet or 2.33 miles per game).
Related Story. Drummond developing a 3-point shot should help Pistons. light
Getting back to that offensive game, Drummond is working on it. Drummond has been slowly improving his arsenal of moves in the post and even flashed moments as a great passer while Van Gundy featured that part of his game in the 2017-18 season (3.0 assists per game). With the 2020 free agency looming it is important to note that Drummond can refuse his player option and become a free agent that summer if he chooses.
Like always, the fan base will be split on whether to keep him or not as he will surely be commanding a max contract somewhere whether it be with the Pistons or another team.
Drummond’s best game of the season came when he put up an absolute monster of a stat line with 29 points, 20 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists, and 1 steal. This is a ridiculous stat line for any player. If Drummond is doing this at just 25 years old what will he be capable of in a few years when he hits his prime?
Best Game of Season:
- 02/08/2019 vs NYK – 29 points / 20 rebounds / 2 assists / 1 steal / 3 blocks (12/15 field goals; 5/6 free throws)
Other Notable Games:
02/11/2019 vs WAS – 32 points / 17 rebounds / 4 steals / 1 block (12/19 field goals; 8/10 free throws)
11/23/2018 vs HOU – 23 points / 20 rebounds / 1 assists / 3 steals / 5 block (9/18 field goals; 5/8 free throws)