Detroit’s problem with utilizing Drummond
In the first half the Pistons did an outstanding job of maximizing Andre Drummond‘s effectiveness. They were going out of their way to feed him in the low post in both a half court setting and with long passes in transition. They were setting him up for success.
Doing this naturally draws multiple bodies to Drummond when he establishes position which frees up shooters along the perimeter. When guys like Morris, Luke Kennard or Tony Snell are on the receiving end of those passes, great! But when tonight it seemed far too often that Tim Frazier or Bruce Brown were the ones getting the look. They’re capable of hitting from deep but not at the rate of consistency that the aforementioned players can.
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That’s where the issues started to arrive. Once the second half started Drummond’s touches went down and the offense seemed to lack fluidity. There weren’t enough pick and rolls being run and his effectiveness felt diminished.
It was reminiscent of the famous (or infamous?) “Avocado Game” that Drummond had against Dallas where in the first half he was dominating the paint, but in the second half he wasn’t getting the same looks.
You may chalk this up to better defensive scheming by the opposing coaches, but it also feels like a lack of consistency on Detroit’s end, where they’re forcing themselves to play from the perimeter. The end result was inside looks often resulting in turnovers when the ball was prematurely fired out to the perimeter, which led to intercepted passes.