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#1 Andre Drummond is a Franchise Cornerstone
There is only one major difference from the Detroit Pistons' squad from last year. Avery Bradley came in place of Marcus Morris and Kentavious Caldwell Pope. That's not a major change and before the season began, many felt that the Pistons would regress. But that hasn't been the case this season. With a quarter of the season gone, they are currently 2nd in the Eastern Conference with a 14-6 record and the major reason for that has been the improved play of Andre Drummond.
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Last season he was awarded a max contract on the back of a season in which he became an All-Star. Many things were expected of him. To be the franchise cornerstone and lead the team back to the heights reached in the Motor City Bad Boys era and Goin' to Work era, But boy did he fail. He was a liability late in games as teams used to use the Hack a Shaq' technique to make the Pistons squander crucial possessions down the stretch. The Pistons were also much better when he was off the floor. He wouldn't attack the basket with the fear of getting fouled, opting to post up instead. He was also a minus defender for the Pistons. All this culminated in him being put on the trading block but his market was so bad that the market for him was next to nothing.
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So, Drummond stayed put. In the offseason, he put his head down and went to work. He completely revamped his game and now he has reached a new level altogether. He is attacking the basket with a renewed aggression, hitting free throws, making his teammates better and defending the rim which has led to a 14-6 record so far. Drummond is now averaging 14.3 Points Per Game, 15.3 Rebounds Per Game, 3.7 Assists Per Game, 1.5 Steals Per Game and 1.2 Blocks Per Game on 54.8% shooting from the field and 63% from the Free Throw line. Most of these numbers are career highs.
Drummond is showing why he was given the max contract. He is proving that last season was a blip on the radar and that he is a franchise cornerstone.
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