NBA Mentors: Which former stars could help current talent?

Andre Drummond and Hakeem Olajuwon

Hakeem Olajuwon has become the “go-to” legendary big man with regard to working with post players on diversifying their arsenal of moves, but in this case, his inclusion is as obvious as it is perfect. As a 20-year-old during the 2013-2014 NBA season, Andre Drummond averaged 13.5 points, 13.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, and he did so while playing just 32.3 minutes per game, and without the benefit of a single, high-level post move or the ability to stretch the defense in any meaningful way.

For all of his fantastic, Hall of Fame-level play, Olajuwon is best known for his incredible “Dream Shake”, as well as his overall ability to score effectively on the block. This would be an obvious addition to Drummond’s game, and while we can certainly expect that any 20-year-old big man would visibly improve over the next handful of seasons, some time with Hakeem would definitely do wonders for his learning curve.

However, there are other tangible ways that Olajuwon affect Drummond, and two areas of concentration would be at the free throw line and on the defensive side of the ball. In short, Andre Drummond has been a catastrophe at the free throw line throughout his two-year NBA career, converting just 40.2% of his attempts, and while Olajuwon was never Mark Price from the line, his shooting form was more than acceptable and the results he derived (career 71.2%) helped him achieve maximum efficiency. Drummond needs a shooting coach, and even if Hakeem isn’t that by trade, it would be potentially beneficial for a player of similar stature to contribute an opinion.

Defensively, Drummond is already a monster when it comes to rim protection, but that is his chief attribute, and frankly, his combination of size and athleticism are such that he should become dominant on this end of the floor. Olajuwon is the NBA’s all-time leader in blocks (by a wide margin), but more than that, he is the only player in league history to fall within the top 10 of career blocks and steals, and his understanding of team concepts and help-side principles would greatly benefit Drummond.

There is a reason that every big man with an offensive limitation is linked to Hakeem Olajuwon, and Andre Drummond may be the perfect test case.