Apparently, Chicago Bulls center Andre Drummond is now a sharp-shooting unicorn.
For those waiting for the NBA’s next sharp-shooting unicorn to emerge, the wait is over. No, the league didn’t grant Victor Wembanyama early entrance. Instead, Andre Drummond has stolen the spotlight as the next great shooting big.
Drummond finished with nine points and nine rebounds in Sunday night’s preseason game with the Chicago Bulls. Most notably, he went 3-3 from 3-point range. It will be interesting to see how Drummond’s revolution will impact the Bulls this season.
Ok, so the first couple of paragraphs of this article were written in jest. No disrespect to Drummond, though. It’s great that he has decided to expand his game and make himself more effective on the offensive end of the floor.
Has the NBA’s 3-point revolution gone too far?
But, I question, has the 3-point revolution gone too far?
It’s one thing for a few unicorns every few years to emerge – you know, the occasion 7-footer that has the ability to stretch the defense with his 3-point stroke. But it seems like every player in the league – including almost every 7-footer can shoot now.
And it’s fun to watch, I guess. I suppose it’s a great thing for the sport too. Especially the future. But part of me misses the throwback version of the NBA that we used to have – you know, the version that feels like labor to watch now.
I long for the days of the traditional big. I long for the days of simply desiring for a big that can catch the ball in the post and lay it in (shout out to Ronny Turiaf; Heat fans know), all while being nothing but a wall on the defensive end.
I miss the days of fans being amazed by a big that can simply pass out of the double team. I miss the days of not having to worry about bigs shooting 3’s.
It may have been a worse overall product but that doesn’t mean I can’t miss it.
And as the NBA continues to move further and further away from the rim, those feelings are only going to grow louder.
The NBA is great. I love it. But there are times when I miss the magic of the early-2000s NBA. And this is one of those days.
So, I ask again, has the 3-point revolution in the NBA gone too far?