Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond is one of 18 players competing for a roster spot on USA Basketball, which begins camp on Aug. 5.
Andre Drummond has been working out in Las Vegas this summer and will stay through early August, looking to earn a spot on with USA Basketball.
Drummond will be one of 18 players competing for a spot on Team USA’s 12-man roster that will compete in China at the FIBA World Cup, according to the Detroit Free Press’ Vince Ellis. The team is coached by San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. The five-day camp beings Aug. 5.
Drummond, 25, is one of five players invited that have been NBA All-Stars, including Kyle Lowry, Kemba Walker, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez.
There are four centers that will try to make the roster, which seems like a daunting task given the NBA’s quest for athleticism. Joining Drummond and Lopez are Myles Turner and Mason Plumlee. Other small-ball center possibilities include Julius Randle, Montrezl Harrell and Thaddeus Young.
It won’t be easy for Drummond to make the cut, even with all the dropouts, but he is coming off his best season in terms of scoring. He averaged a career-best 17.3 points per game on 53.3 percent shooting, his highest since his second year.
He was even better after February, averaging 18.3 points, 16.6 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 57.6 percent from the field and 65.2 percent from the free throw line. Elevating his game helped lead the Pistons to their second playoff appearance in four years.
To become more versatile, Drummond has been working out in Las Vegas, notably sharing a video of him working on 3-point shots.
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Lopez re-invented his game to incorporate the perimeter shot and it has extended his career. He averaged a career-high 6.3 3-point attempts last season and connected at a 36.5 percent clip.
A similar addition to Drummond’s game would make him a threat to pop out off a pick-and-roll instead of exclusively being a roll man.
The FIBA World Cup beings Aug. 31 in China and runs through Sept. 15. If he makes the roster, that’ll give Drummond two weeks off before Pistons camp begins on Sept. 29.
Other players competing in Las Vegas are Jayson Tatum, Harrison Barnes, Kyle Kuzma, Donovan Mitchell and P.J. Tucker.
There’s an incredibly talented roster of players that declined Team USA, including James Harden, Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Bradley Beal, Anthony Davis, Tobias Harris and Kevin Love, among others.
Though they may have interest in joining the team for the 2020 Olympics.