Detroit Pistons replay center: How Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond feed off each other

Passing ability

But it’s not only that Griffin’s scoring ability opens up passing lanes. He has genuine passing instincts and vision. He spots Drummond getting the miss-match as he walks down the court and is able to hit him right where he’s supposed to, to make the finish easy before more help comes.

Recognition of the defense and precision of the pass play a key role in turning what could be a less efficient Drummond post up to an easy bucket.

And having a guy in that position that can make passes on the move with ease is huge for Drummond whose major advantage is outrunning his opponents and getting quickly behind the defense. It’s not only that Griffin can run with the ball. He can push the pace and still be in control of the play.

He can orchestrate the half-court offense too. Even when he’s used as a screener, he can use the threat of a roll to the rim, attract the attention of the opposing center and find Drummond with a nice lob in confined space. Griffin just has that feel for the game that few people that size have to create plays like this.

Griffin is a creative passer. He knows how and when to apply pressure on the defense to create the right angle of the pass and he’ll only get better at that moving forward. On the next play, his hesitation dribbles force the defenders to virtually screen each other as he sets up this glorious pass.

He’s at his best when he makes quick decisions, capitalizing on already created advantages and navigating the ball to the open man. His height allows him to see the floor and make zip line passes over defenders’ heads to feed his big man.

And Drummond has done a better job of ducking in and being an easy target for passes like this.

Griffin sees plays before they happen. That level of vision is paramount. In this play he sees Jordan running to the corner and immediately recognizes the 2-on-1 situation against Noah Vonleh. So he quickly creates more space for the lob using the threat of his shooting. Vonleh has to run out and Griffin throws the ball immediately after he caught it.

The willingness to pass is also a major point to make. Even when he has an open shot, Griffin will pass it up if there’s a better one. That’s not always the case and an area of improvement for Griffin but the mentality of a distributor is already there.

The best thing is that it has made Drummond more active off the ball. Knowing that you’ll get the ball if you move correctly without it is the biggest motivation for a player to always stay available on the floor and we’ve seen that effect on the young center.

The generosity is catching on. Drummond has always enjoyed feeding his teammates but this was the first year he consistently tried to kick out the ball after offensive rebounds when it was the best option. That’s a difficult calculation to make, especially because he’s scoring 1.05 points per possession on put backs.

And the hustle plays add another layer of motivation and leadership by example. How are you not going to stay active off the ball when your superstar teammate dives for balls like this on a regular basis to get you an easy bucket?

Drummond is not too shabby either flashing signs of good passing instincts. He hasn’t been used much as a passer in the time Griffin is in Detroit but he had half a great year doing that and both would probably benefit if that could continue.

Ben Simmons fronts Griffin to deny the pass and Drummond provides pressure relief by popping to the high post to get a better angle on the pass. The chemistry of the two big men is off the charts on this play where Griffin pops to the corner as Jackson screens his defender. That play is 80 percent reliant on familiarity.

Using the biggest guy on your team as a facilitator also draws the biggest guy on their team away from the basket where they can’t contest shots like this. There’s absolutely no reason Drummond shouldn’t be operating in the high post more often.

Drummond has also showed improvement in pushing the ball after the rebound and being smarter about it. Instead of attacking the basket and running into a crowd, this year he shifted towards the side where he can protect the ball and hand it off to a teammate, utilizing his screens to get teammates open.

Which leads me to my next point. Drummond’s ability to set good screens and roll the rim where he is a major threat other teams have to plan for.