If he can ever self-simplify his responsibilities, opt to maximize what he already does well, and, you know, try harder, that’s a wrecking ball. Picture Drummond injected into a reality-check ecosystem that doesn’t let him test drive skills that belong in a garage. When he sticks to what he’s great at, you can’t help but wonder how he’d do surrounded by players who fill in the areas he wants to occupy. But too much of what he does has the feel of a high-school student skipping their actual homework assignment to do extra credit. Common sense would tell you that it’s beneficial to have Drummond explore different ways he can impact a game. Parsing productive growth from self-serving desire isn’t easy, though, especially in an NBA that’s trending towards generalists and away from niche skill-sets.
Sequences like this have not been rare this season: Take whatever it is Drummond tried to do here - which was followed by a booming and hilarious HELL NO from the Wizards bench - as an example. But just because he wants to moonlight as a point guard and shoot threes doesn’t mean he should. “Every year, is going to bring something new to the table,” Pistons head coach Dwane Casey recently told reporters. Right now Drummond averages more seconds and dribbles per touch than every other center except Julius Randle - AKA more than Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Anthony Davis. The putbacks, one-dribble drop steps, and picks that peel defenders off teammates are all helpful.īut for every sign of progress - He’s shooting a career-best 67.3 percent from the free-throw line and the percentage of his possessions that end as a roll man are currently double what they’ve been over the past few years! - there lies a hideous push shot, unnecessary foul, or forced foray into a reminder that every player has their limit. Even if they sustain, there’s a harmful insecurity in Drummond’s game that has increasingly led him outside the lane any competitive team would prefer he stay in. At 26 years old, he’s already the best rebounder of his generation, and it’s not particularly close.Īll these stats are amazing, but it’s too early to call them a revelation, or use them to erase the myriad questions that still contaminate Drummond’s overall effect. Drummond’s rebounding has always been comically dominant, but right now the gap between him and everybody else is over 50 boards. He leads the league in minutes, and only Giannis Antetokounmpo has made more baskets. Nine games into his eighth season, Drummond is averaging 22 points - a personal best by a significant margin - and has never been more efficient. Andre Drummond has been on this list for most of his career, but right now it’s worth wondering if he’s nearing off it. Plenty good enough to dominate their role, they misunderstand/outright reject who they are, and how they can best impact winning. The NBA is littered with players who stifle their own talent.
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