Fansided

The most important player on each and every NBA team this season

By Ti Windisch

CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 08: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers defended by Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 08: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers defended by Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 31: Andre Drummond #0 of the Detroit Pistons handles the ball during the game against the New York Knicks on March 31, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 31: Andre Drummond #0 of the Detroit Pistons handles the ball during the game against the New York Knicks on March 31, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Detroit Pistons — Andre Drummond

The Detroit Pistons have been operating with Andre Drummond as their franchise player since Sep. 5, 2014. Just about four years ago, Greg Monroe signed his qualifying offer with the Pistons, indicating he would be leaving after the 2014-15 regular season.

At the time, that was huge news. Monroe was a dominant low post scorer, the kind of player teams built around before those pesky Golden State Warriors literally changed the game that season. The Pistons still had a big man to build around in Andre Drummond, and build around him they have done.

Detroit added Reggie Jackson and eventually Blake Griffin to the roster, although since 2014 there’s never been a question who the real centerpiece was in the Motor City. Drummond is consistently out-rebounding just about everybody else in the NBA, and might be the greatest rebounder of his generation.

Drummond’s offensive game has evolved in that stretch, as he set a career-high with 3.0 assists per game last season. It feels like Drummond has been in Detroit forever, but he’s still just 25 years old. There’s plenty of time for the surprisingly good rapper to improve his basketball game.

Blake Griffin is a flashy star player who is certainly paid like a megastar, but Andre Drummond is still more important to the Pistons. It will be interesting to see how he can evolve under new Detroit head coach Dwane Casey.

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