Andre “Put It On The Glass” Drummond
By Corey Young
Apr 6, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (1) looks on during the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. The Timberwolves won 107-101. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
In are next installment of examining the Detroit Pistons roster we will look at Andre “Put it on the Glass” Drummond. We will look at Drummond strengths and weaknesses, ways he can change the game, and things he can do to take his game to another level.
Pre-NBA
Andre Drummond was born on August 10,1993in Mount Vernon, New York and his measurables are he is 6ft 11in 270lbs. Drummond was one of the best players in the country in high school. He was ranked #1 in the ESPN and #2 byscout.com and rivals.com in 2011. Drummond decided to attend theUniversity ofConnecticut and played college basketball for one season averaging 10 ppg, 7.6rpg. and 2.7bpg in 28 minutes of action.
Coming to Detroit
Andre Drummond was drafted ninth in the 2012 NBA draft to the Detroit Pistons and appeared in 60 games starting in 10 of them. Drummond season average was 7.9ppg, 7.6rpg, 1.6bpg, and 1 spg in only 20 minutes of action. Drummond has a great defensive foundation. Some things you cannot teach and he has them. Anticipation on rebounding, position, blocking shots is off the charts. Drummond has pretty good hands and if the ball is in his vicinity he will get it. I honestly was not enamored with how little he was used at some points in the season. The record dictated that he should have been able to play more than he did and have time to grow. When the playoffs are a pipedream by January you should get all of your young talent a plethora of minutes to see where you can go in the future and truly how much they’re improving. Simply stated you cannot substitute practice with game experience. Very few young players have the talent and the know withal to get by on only ability and smarts. You take your lumps and bumps, build up self esteem, confidence, and whenever players make mistakes use those as teachable moments to continue to coach and capture attention to detail. Those are peremptory qualities a coach uses to justify why winning is just as much mental toughness to physical prowess. Getting back to Drummond game offensively there is room for improvement. Drummond is so raw at this point it is of utmost importance that we hire an assistant coach and or mentor who can coach up the Turnt Up Twins. Drummond has worked this offseason with Hakeem Olajuwon who can help one half of the Turnt Up Twins potential and we could see immediate improvement. With Rasheed Wallace coming to Detroit Pistons as an assistant and him mentoring such big men as Jermaine O’Neal and Zach Randolph during his time as a Portland Trailblazers I can see Drummond making huge strides over the course of this coming season which is needed for us to take that next step to getting into the playoffs . Factor in the free agent acquisition of Josh Smith and we can bring Drummond along a little slower due to less pressure on him to score immediately. Just about every point he scores is usually him and effort as far as dunks and lay ups. I see no go to move or any kind of offensive move from any significance distance from the rim. Free throw shooting is paltry at best but none of his faults can’t be overcame with proper coaching and countless hours in the gym.
Synopsis
Overall Drummond is so young and so raw that I honestly want to see him get coached up in the same system for multiple years with a core group of players. Drummond is just scratching the surface of his potential and I see someone who is so athletic and talented I know that if he works hard and front office puts positive pieces around him he can become a cornerstone in the middle for years to come. Offensively he is limited but after only one year of college I would rather have him this way so I can fully develop and mold him. He has no bad habits because he has always been so athletic he could just get the rebound and block shots and score on put backs off rebounds or dunks. Remember he is still 19 years of age and if we as an organization invest years into him to mold him and are other young nucleus we will do special things sooner rather than later.
Randomness
I nicknamed Andre Drummond “Put It On The Glass” due to his propensity to block shots and rebound veraciously in the paint. The Turnt Up Twins are Andre Drummond and Greg ” Moose” Monroe and I gave them the nickname because when I watch them play I get excited or “Turnt Up” about the future of Detroit Pistons basketball with those two on the roster.