Detroit Pistons: Upend Celtics, put the East on alert

Andre the Giant

On Monday night, Andre Drummond joined Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, Chris Webber, and Karl Malone as the fifth under-25 player ever to have a 20/20 game with six assists and four steals, per BasketballReference.com.

And he looked damn impressive doing it:

That version of Andre Drummond? That’s the guy who the Pistons thought they drafted after his first few years in the league – someone who could have the same type of career as the four guys mentioned above.

Last year, Drummond was anything but that player – the culmination of a downward trend that had been building over a few years. By season’s end, after Detroit finished a dissapointing 37-44 campaign, some were wondering whether Andre was even a net asset on a contract that still had four years and over $100 million left to go.

If what he’s been showing keeps up, those questions will not only cease to exist, but will quickly be replaced with ones asking whether Drummond is the franchise cornerstone the Pistons thought they had all along.

He’s been that good at times. Cue up the above video to 1:00 and then 1:25. You’ll see two plays in which the former Huskie comes out to defend on the three point line, forces a turnover, and then runs the floor like a gazelle en route to an emphatic finish.

It’s a far cry from a year ago.

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In 2016-17, Detroit was considerably better with Drummond off the floor. Not only did their defense improve by over nine points per 100 possessions, but they scored at a slightly better clip as well.

This season, the Pistons have scored six more points per 100 possessions with him on the court, although his defensive numbers remain poor. The same could be said of all of Detroit’s starters, but based on plays like the two he made last night, we know Drummond has it in him to be a difference-making force on that end.

As for why Andre’s has been a positive contributor on the offensive end this year, it’s more about what he hasn’t done than what he has.

Last season, Andre had 4.1 post-ups per game, tied for tenth in the NBA, and those plays resulted in a putrid .73 points per possession – the third-worst figure among the 50 guys who had at least 100 such looks. This year, he’s somehow even worse, getting only .65 points per possession on post-ups, but is posting up only 1.7 times per game, barely inside the top 50.

The lesson, as always: if you’re going to suck at something, do the thing you suck at less.

Drummond is also doing more of the thing that he happens to be very good at: getting put-backs. Last year he led the league with 3.5 per game, but those resulted in a middling 1.02 points per possession on 2.8 fga per game. This year, he’s upped that to 4.6 post-ups and 3.9 fga resulting in 1.10 points per possession – still not great but solid given the volume.

And then there’s the free throw shooting. After starting the year on fire – 78% over his first nine games, including a 14 for 16 showing against the Bucks – Drummond has regressed, hitting 50% over the last ten. Still, if he can even stay above water, it’s a game changer.

Overall, Drummond’s improvement this year feels like it has staying power. The bigger question is whether the same can be said about his point guard.