Detroit Pistons: 3 goals for Andre Drummond in 2018-19

Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond is a puzzling player. He can fill up stat sheets, then he can disappear the next night. 2018-19 will be a big year.

The Detroit Pistons got a new head coach this offseason, and changes are happening. Several players will play new roles than the ones they had under former coach Stan Van Gundy.

One major change will come for center Andre Drummond. Under Van Gundy, Drummond operated as the focal point in the one-in, four-out system on offense. New head coach Dwane Casey puts more emphasis on guard play, which suggests Drummond will become mostly a rim-roller on offense.

Drummond made his second career All-Star team last season, as an alternate after several unfortunate injuries. This season, he’ll likely put up less true counting stats, but he has the ability to impact the game outside of the stat sheet. His size and athleticism allow him to be a huge deterrent on defense. This will be a big year for him, as he works to justify the contract he signed back in 2016.

Blake Griffin and Reggie Jackson will be leading the team on offense. Drummond needs to invest his effort on defense this season. He showed last season that with increased time and effort, he can improve his weaknesses. He raised his career free throw percentage from 41.8 to 60.5 percent. Drummond can be great this season. He just has to accomplish a few things first.