3 takeaways from Detroit Pistons 117-111 loss to Philadelphia 76ers

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Detroit Pistons Andre Drummond. (Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images) /

2. Andre Drummond, the scapegoat

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Let me be clear. Drummond had a bad game last night. Drummond lost focus early in what turned out to be a very disappointing performance.

Up until yesterday, preseason included, Drummond seemed to have turned a corner. He was focused, mature, didn’t rush his shots, didn’t force anything and his effort was consistent. Last night, he took a step back the opposite direction.

The lack of scoring in the starting lineup means Drummond had to take more burden creating offense. He has improved on that aspect of his game but it’s not always going to go well for him and he has to keep his head straight when that happens. Especially when the referees call fouls like this.

Drummond knows the calls are not always going to be in his favor and he should be prepared for it. On the play below, Kyle O’Quinn gives him a push that the refs miss and he flails, hitting O’Quinn in the face. Casey challenged the call but the decision was not overturned. That was Drummond’s third foul with a lot of time left in the second quarter.

With that situation at hand, Drummond has to be extremely careful. Two minutes in the second half, he gives Simmons a push from behind, forcing the referee’s whistle. This is just unacceptable. With Griffin and Jackson out, the Pistons need Drummond on the floor and he can’t make mistakes like that.

Those are the mental mistakes Drummond has to avoid from now on and it was really disappointing to see him lose focus like that. In the fourth, you could see him talking to the refs as he was shooting a free throw. He missed that free throw. Just unacceptable.

Then, with the Pistons trailing by two, he’s forcing the issue, going for a sashay, as Casey likes to call them. There’s a time and a place for those and this was not it. Of course, if he had made it he would have been a hero but in the NBA, you’re judged for results. Simmons scored quickly after that.

Drummond was completely disengaged after that play. Rose makes a terrible inbound pass that Simmons easily intercepts and he just gives up on the play. Rose makes a clear mistake here but part of Drummond’s job is to cover for his teammates. Fans’ frustration with him is warranted.

But he’s not the sole reason the Pistons lost, as was the prevailing sentiment after last night’s loss. For example, I think the Pistons would have won if Morris was in the game, late in the fourth, to guard Simmons. Snell just can’t handle his physicality and Drummond has to overhelp here, leaving Horford open.

He makes an effort to contest but there’s just too much ground to cover. Horford scored consecutive points out of that play but if Morris was in the game, the Pistons could have switched that action, an adjustment Casey was too slow to make.

There were other factors. Rose and Kennard missed some pull-up shots with the game on the line and of course Rose made a couple of crucial turnovers. This is not to say Drummond shouldn’t be criticized. I just spend a whole slide criticizing him.

There’s just a right way to criticize him and that’s not to put all the blame on him. It would be easy for me to do that or to blame it on Casey or Rose but it’s just not that simple. For example, he scored on this drive.

He’s been really effective with his drives so far, so you absolutely can’t infer that he should never drive. You can say that his previously mentioned sashay was ill-advised at the time. You can say that he lost his focus when it mattered. But you have to take the good with the bad.

Drummond is not a bad player. He’s made strides with his maturity and one game does not take that away just as one good game doesn’t mean he’s figured it all out. And don’t forget. Even in his worst games, he still gives you 13 points and 12 rebounds.

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