10 most valuable contracts in the NBA
By Bryce Olin
9. Andre Drummond (3 years, $7.4 million)
In terms of his impact for the Detroit Pistons, Drummond was the lone bright spot and easily their best player in 2013-14, boasting a PER of 22.65, the third best rank among qualified centers. While PER is far from everything, Drummond played in 81 games and grabbed 1,071 rebounds, the second highest total in the league. For $2.43 million per season, Drummond is a steal for the Pistons.
| Season | MP | FG% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | 32.3 | .623 | .418 | 13.2 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 13.5 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/22/2014.
At only 21-years-old, literally, the sky is the limit for Drummond. Offensively, his footwork isn’t great at this point in his career. He scores most of his points because of his athleticism and physicality. Worst of all, he’s a 41 percent—GASP!—free throw shooter. How can someone who plays basketball for a living make 41 percent of their free throws? I will never know.
Even with all the free throw struggles, Drummond is still the second most valuable center, in terms of “bang for your buck,” in the NBA. Who’s most valuable center? He’s coming up on the list shortly.