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Is Andre Drummond Going To Be A Superstar?

By Ti Windisch

Feb 27, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) blocks New York Knicks center Andrea Bargnani (77) during the first quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 27, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) blocks New York Knicks center Andrea Bargnani (77) during the first quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /
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Will Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond turn out to be a superstar?

As much as I’m sure all the Pistons fans out there would love for me to answer that question with a resounding yes, I just can’t bring myself to do it. Not yet. I will give you an actual answer to that question, but not yet.

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There are a lot of things I can bring myself to say about Drummond though. He certainly has the potential to be one of the best centers in the NBA. At just 21 years of age Drummond has shown flashes of becoming an elite player, but also shown some disconcerting signs as well.

We’ll start with the bad stuff, because I like to save the best for last. Drummond is currently leading the entire NBA in personal fouls, although he only averages 3.5 fouls per game. Fouling more than anybody isn’t good, but since Drummond plays so many games (one of his strengths I’ll get to later) he has only fouled out of six games, which isn’t terrible.

One of Drummond’s other weaknesses is also related to fouls, but this one has more to do with fouls on him. Out of his three seasons in the NBA, 41.8 percent has been his career best free throw shooting percentage for a single season. For anyone who’s not aware, 41.8 percent free throw shooting is terrible.

Seventy percent is around the low end of the NBA average, anything under 60 percent is abysmal. This season Drummond is averaging a somehow-even-worse 38.9 percent from the line. That makes him an absolute liability in games, when teams can knowingly hack Drummond and send him to the line knowing on average he’ll make no more than one of his attempts.

Although some very good players in league history have gotten away with being poor foul shooters (cough Shaquille O’Neal cough), Drummond is not nearly good enough to ignore that poor percentage.

Tall players are not guaranteed to be bad free throw shooters (Kevin Durant has never shot below 85 percent, and he’s 6-foot-10), so there’s no reason Drummond can’t work on his free throws over the offseason.

I’d give him a lot of credit for some improvement in that area, because without being able to sink some free throws I just don’t think you can be a complete player. Drummond’s scoring numbers would definitely increase if he could raise his free throw percentage.

Right now he’s only scoring 13.2 points per game, which is decent for a defensive/rebounding focused center but certainly not superstar numbers.

Finally, the last knock I have on Drummond isn’t even really a knock. His shooting numbers have dropped rapidly this season, going from 62.3 percent last season all the way down to about 49 percent right now. This isn’t really a knock because even after the drop Drummond remains in the top 20 field goal shooters by percentage right now.

It’s also not a knock because I believe Drummond’s “slump” to be temporary. It’s his first season playing under new head coach Stan Van Gundy and his first season playing with several Pistons, including Reggie Jackson, Jodie Meeks, Tayshaun Prince and Spencer Dinwiddie.

Once Drummond gets more time in this new system and becomes acclimated with the pieces around him I wouldn’t be surprised at all if his field goal percentage starts to creep upward again. Again, although its his third season with the Pistons this year it is important to keep in mind Drummond is just 21 years old.

There will be rough patches in his game at this stage, but he should keep getting better.

Now that we’ve covered the flaws in Andre Drummond’s game at the moment, let’s move on to the fun part. The following are signs that lead me to believe Drummond has the potential to one day become one of the premier big men in the NBA.

Probably the best part of Drummond’s game right now is his insane rebounding. Drummond is currently first in offensive rebounding (the most valuable kind of rebounding), with a roughly 40 rebound lead over DeAndre Jordan.

Drummond is also second in total rebounds (to Jordan, who’s having an insane season in his contract year), making him a top-tier rebounder already in his short career.

Even if he doesn’t shoot much above 50 percent for the rest of his career (which is possible, but unlikely) being that good at rebounding still makes Drummond an impact player at the very least. Especially since a large portion of his boards come at the offensive end.

Being able to generate extra possessions for your team is almost invaluable, and if the Pistons can surround Drummond with dynamic scorers their offense could be frightening.

One of my personal favorite things about Andre Drummond is his toughness. Dating back to the beginning of last season, Drummond has missed exactly one game. That’s not a typo. He’s started 153 of the last 154 games for the Pistons, an impressive feat for any player of any position, but especially impressive for a big man.

That kind of durability and consistency is a huge boost to a team’s performance, even a struggling team like Detroit.

Finally, Drummond’s defense is a big plus. He’s currently seventh in the NBA in blocks per game, meaning that Drummond is a disruptive force in the paint on both ends of the floor. His blocks and defensive rating are actually both up from last season although his offense dropped off a little, and his defensive win shares currently a career-high 3.7, good enough for tenth in the NBA.

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    • His defensive rating of 100 is also impressive, and also the tenth best in the association.

    Clearly Andre Drummond has a lot going for him. His rebounding, defense, consistency and decent field goal percentage are all big pluses and signs that Drummond could one day be a superstar. His foul trouble (both shooting free throws and fouling other players) and lack of scoring hurt him, but not terribly.

    If he can become a decent foul shooter, take a few more shots per game and raise his field goal percentage back up to last year’s or even close Drummond would be, in my opinion, a superstar.

    His terrific defense and rebounding, along with converting his trips to the line and scoring more like 20 points a game than 13 would make him a force to be reckoned with in the NBA, and I could see that happening.

    So my answer to the question, “Is Andre Drummond going to be a superstar?” is a definitive probably. In a few seasons of work, development and acclimation with Van Gundy’s system, Drummond could end up being one of the best centers in the entire NBA. Watch out, DeMarcus Cousins.

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