Is Pistons’ Andre Drummond finally expanding his offense?
By Tom West
Andre Drummond of the Detroit Pistons has quickly established himself as one of the best young centers in the NBA. From his imposing 6-foot-11, 270-pound frame, to his dominant ability to crash the boards over any opponent, Drummond is easily one of the most promising defensive big men in the league. However, he now seems to be improving one of the key weaknesses of his game: his offensive skill set.
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On Instagram, Drummond made it clear that everyone needs to know how he’s working to evolve his offensive arsenal this offseason. And after the Pistons failed to come anywhere close to making the playoffs, he’s had plenty of time on his hands to get to work.
In a couple of separate videos, Drummond displayed how he’s working on his his spin moves, jump shot, and ball handling (both in transition and in the post). Which, if it results in some noticeable improvement, could wind up making a real difference to the Pistons’ 17th ranked offense.
The next two Instagram posts give you a little taste of what he’s been working on.
https://instagram.com/p/66CbmUyMTa/
On top of those spin moves, he’s been working on developing an elbow jumper, too.
Over the course of his career, 24.6 percent of Drummond’s field goal attempts have been dunks. No matter how strong and explosive you are, that number is too high for a center who has the physical tools to become a potent force in the post. Not necessarily due to a soft touch and fade-away jumpers, but at least by forcing opponents back to utilize a consistent hook shot.
By looking at Drummond’s offseason workouts, though, it seems like he wants to add some fluidity and skill to the lumbering presence of his offensive rebounding.
Last season, he was virtually unstoppable on the glass. He averaged a ridiculous 5.3 offensive rebounds in just 30.5 minutes per game (1.5 more than league leading rebounder DeAndre Jordan) and constantly powered through opposing big men to finish with authority at the rim. But even though Drummond may finish a respectable 60 percent of his shots from within three feet, that number could easily soar to 70 if he brings some diversity to his post-up game.
For example, take his performance shown in the following YouTube video. Drummond finished with 22 points and 17 offensive rebounds (seriously, 17), but did little more than finish dunks in transition or pick up easy put-backs of his own layups and wild up-and-under moves. If it wasn’t for the occasional jump hook over Marreese Speights, virtually every made shot would come from within arms reach of the basket.
His dominance under the rim obviously isn’t a problem, though. If you can power through people that easily, why not do it every time you get your hands on the ball? Well, becoming an elite center isn’t quite that easy. And after Drummond only made 42.7 percent of his hook shots and attempted a near non-existent 1.9 percent of his shots from 10-16 feet out last season, it could take his production to a whole new level if he can acquire a decent 10 foot jumper.
It doesn’t have to be Dirk Nowitzki-esque, it just needs to happen. Well, at least more than 1.9 percent of the time. Because if Drummond can add some flare to his brute-force approach to posting up, he could become a nightmare for players to guard.
His 38.9 percent free throw shooting is still an issue, but if he starts spinning past players and making them bite on some smooth pump fakes, there’s no reason why Drummond can’t emerge as a 17 points per game player.
Combine that with his 13.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks, and the Pistons have got themselves an absolute wrecking ball of a center.