Detroit Pistons: Is Andre Drummond the NBA’s best ‘true’ center?

Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond is one of the NBA’s best at his position, but that position is not what it used to be.

In the same month that Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond made his NBA debut, a decision was made that will likely impact his legacy when it comes time to evaluate his career.

Shortly before Drummond played his first game for the Pistons in 2012, the league announced it was changing the All-Star Game selection process. No longer would the All-Star ballot have separate sections for centers, forwards and guards; players would instead by divided into “frontcourt” and “backcourt.”

That meant there would no longer be a guaranteed spot for centers in the All-Star Game’s starting lineup, and with so many talented forwards in the league, it suddenly became possible that centers could be iced out entirely.

For Drummond, that meant his odds of being chosen for the All-Star Game decreased before he’d even had a chance to showcase his skills as a pro. It seems minor, but those individual accolades matter in contract negotiations, endorsement deals, and ultimately when it comes time to consider a player’s candidacy for the Hall of Fame.

Fast-forward to 2019, and Drummond is a two-time All-Star. If there were still a spot on the ballot reserved for centers, however, he could have a few more All-Star honors tacked on his resume.

The All-Star Game change was another piece of evidence bolstering the growing belief that the true center — the big man who lived on the low block and prospered in the paint — was an endangered species in the NBA. When the change was made in 2012, traditional centers like Shaquille O’Neal, Yao Ming and Dikembe Mutombo had recently retired, and more big men were becoming 3-point shooters and slick ball-handlers on the perimeter.

Drummond addressed the topic recently. He described himself as “one of the last true centers in the NBA” in an interview with Forbes.

"“Detroit has a history of a lot of great rebounders and big guys that have been great defenders,” Drummond said. “So for me to pick up where they left off and continue that trend, of being a gritty, tough big man is pretty cool.”"

Among the true centers left in the league, where does Drummond rank? Here’s my top 10:

So who does and doesn’t count as a “true center”?

Since 3-point shooting is such a prominent part of the equation — it’s almost always the first complaint about the new-age big man from those who prefer the mold crafted by Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain — any center who has taken enough 3-pointers to qualify for league-leading percentages was removed from consideration.

That would include Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers star who is the best overall center in the NBA. Embiid is a legit MVP candidate who outplays and famously aggravates Drummond head-to-head, but he launches almost four 3-pointers per game. According to Basketball-Reference, Embiid has taken more 3-pointers this season than he’s taken shots 3-10 feet away from the rim. By comparison, over 90 percent of Drummond’s attempts are taken from 10 feet or closer.

Also shooting themselves off the list are Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets), who I would rank above Drummond overall. Nikola Vucevic (Orlando Magic), Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies) and Brook Lopez (Milwaukee Bucks) also take too many 3-pointers to fit the “true center” criteria.

Al Horford has embraced the long range shot in recent years, and since the five-time All-Star plays more like a center/power forward hybrid, I left him out as well. He’s too good of a ball-handler and passer; he’s too versatile. Horford’s skill-set affords him a legit shot at a championship with the Boston Celtics, so I assume he’ll be okay with not making this old school list anyway.

What makes Drummond the best true center in the league, you ask?

For starters, he is the only one that has been the focal point or main building block of an NBA franchise. Drummond is the only Pistons player to make the All-Star Game in the last decade (since Allen Iverson in 2009); the rest of the best true centers in the league have either had All-Star teammates to lean on, or just haven’t been near All-Star level themselves. Drummond is also a two-time All-NBA pick.

Drummond has led the league in rebounding twice, and is currently doing the same this season (14.9 boards per game). He’s scoring a career-high 17.1 points per game while shooting 50.7 percent from the field and has improved from his previously atrocious free throw shooting. He also has six 20-and-20 games this season.

Drummond is a good defender. After leading all NBA centers in steals last season, he’s doing it again this season with 1.6 per game. He is averaging 1.8 blocks, close to his goal of setting a career-high in that category.

"“My main goal this season was to come in as a rim protector and average two blocks per game,” Drummond said in the Forbes piece. “The goal is to continue to get better and better at it and eventually get to be the No. 1 shot-blocker in the league.”"

So what does being the best true center in the NBA get you?

Drummond is putting together an All-Star caliber season, but when the NBA released the first returns for 2019 All-Star voting, Drummond ranked ninth among Eastern Conference frontcourt players. Embiid is third and Drummond’s Detroit teammate, Blake Griffin, is sixth. Drummond is behind Vince Carter in the voting; the popular 41-year-old Atlanta Hawks forward is averaging 7.3 points per game but could be retiring this year to cap a Hall of Fame career.

Detroit is 17-21 through Tuesday’s schedule, sitting in ninth place in the Eastern Conference. Some fans tend to make Drummond a scapegoat as one of the highest-paid players on the team and marquee names, but he is hardly the problem on a team that struggles with outside shooting and perimeter defense.

While the game is changing, there is still a place for true centers in the NBA. For the Pistons, having the cream of the crop on their side is one of the best things the franchise has going for itself.