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NBA: 5 Players That Deserve First All-Star Appearance

By Joshua Howe

Nov 15, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) drives past Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) in the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 15, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) drives past Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) in the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 21, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) reacts during the second quarter against the Washington Wizards at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 21, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) reacts during the second quarter against the Washington Wizards at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Andre Drummond

He’s a double-double machine. No, seriously, he gives out more double-doubles daily than six Tim Hortons combined. He’s already posted 20 of them over the course of 23 games. Only twice this season has he had less than 10 boards in a game.

There are only four players in the league who are averaging at least 15 points, 10 rebounds and a true shooting percentage of 50 percent: DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis, Kevin Love and Drummond.

Guess which one has yet to be an All-Star?

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    • Drummond is averaging the most boards the in league by a fair margin (16.7 per game). The next closest players are DeAndre Jordan (13.4), Dwight Howard (12.2) and Love/Pau Gasol (11.0).

    His league-leading average gets even more impressive when you look at the total number of rebounds he’s collected so far this season (383). Next closest? Jordan with 295. Drummond has grabbed nearly 100 more rebounds than DeAndre Jordan!

    Wait, hold on to your butts, it gets even more impressive.

    Drummond is rebounding at a historic rate. In fact, no player in NBA history has ever recorded this many boards in 23 games or less. The second closest is actually the aforementioned Jordan this season. Then Dennis Rodman in 1998-99 (258) and Kevin Love in 2012-13 (252).

    The impact he has on his team is monumental. When he’s on the floor, the Pistons’ offensive rating is 104.9, and when he’s off the court it’s 92.6.

    My word.

    On the other end of the spectrum, opponents have an offensive rating of 98.9 when Drummond is on the hardwood and a rating 107.4 when he’s not.

    On the defensive side of things, Drummond isn’t the best rim protector yet (when defending opponents within less than six feet of the hoop, they shoot 56.1 percent, per NBA.com), but he does block 1.4 shots a game and merely by his size takes up a significant amount of interior space.

    Drummond is 22 years old but it feels like his All-Star selection is long overdue. If he doesn’t get in this season, he never will.

    Next: The Dancing Bear