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Detroit Pistons: Andre Drummond Is The Next Dwight Howard

By Gerald Bourguet

Dec 21, 2013; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) and Houston Rockets power forward Dwight Howard (12) collide during the first quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 21, 2013; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) and Houston Rockets power forward Dwight Howard (12) collide during the first quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 30, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) puts his arm around forward Marcus Morris (13) during the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bulls at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pistons win in overtime 98-94. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /

Defense And Fit

Unlike Howard, Andre Drummond does not appear to be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate at this point in his career. Though the blocks and steals numbers are nearly identical, a player’s defensive ability cannot be measured in those two categories alone. In fact, it’s pretty hard to truly measure defensive efficiency with any one statistic.

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But so far with this new Van Gundy Pistons team, Drummond’s fit has been eerily similar on the defensive end to what Howard had in Orlando. When the Magic went to the Finals in 2008-09, Howard anchored a defense that led the league in defensive efficiency, holding opponents to 98.9 points per 100 possessions.

So far in Detroit, the Pistons are holding opponents to 92.8 points per 100 possessions, the sixth best mark in the NBA during the tiny sample size of opening week. However, even as those numbers begin to skew back toward the upper 90s as more games are played, it appears Drummond will be able to fill a similar role now that Detroit has more length on the wing.

And yeah, the shot-blocking ability doesn’t hurt either.

In this league, a player’s potential is about talent, but it’s also about fit. With the Pistons possessing so many rangy wings who can knock down threes, Detroit’s 6’11”, 279-pound behemoth not only has room to operate in the paint, but he also can crash the boards until his heart is content when all those threes don’t find their mark.

On the other end, those same wing players lend their length to the team’s defense, but Drummond being the only true big in the starting lineup allows him to be more of a central rim protector. On both ends of the floor, Drummond is starting to realize his potential in a system that’s ideal for his development.

Next: The Differences

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