Pistons: Reasons to Believe in Hot Start to the Season
By Zac Snyder
Nov 8, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Detroit Pistons center
(0) reacts after being called for goaltending a shot by Portland Trail Blazers forward
(17) at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
Andre Drummond has become a star
Identifying Andre Drummond as an important player to the Pistons’ success this season was an easy observation to make in a preseason preview. What wasn’t clear was whether Drummond would put it all together for his production to match his potential.
It’s so far, so good as Drummond has made 20 point, 20 rebound games look routine and he’s started doing things like this:
Three defenders, zero care by Drummond.
Now, this kind of move has been more of the exception than the rule so far. Drummond has become a bigger part of the offsense this season but that has come at the expense of his offensive efficiency. Consider this from Dan Feldman:
"Andre Drummond has ended 36 post-ups with a shot, free throw or turnover – 10th most in the NBA. But he scores just .75 points per post-up, second-worst among the league’s 10 most-frequenter post-up possession users (behind only Zach Randolph)."
Drummond is still fantastic as an offensive rebounder to get put-back buckets but can take steps forward by continuing to develop his primary offensive moves. That will come as the Pistons continue to look to him.
As good as Drummond has been this season, there is still another level to reach and that should terrify opponents.
Next: Bench will improve