Andre Drummond, Pistons need to get on same page again
WASHINGTON — Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond sat in his locker room cubicle and stared straight ahead, a red towel over his head. He was the last player left in room after the Washington Wizards beat the Pistons 107-103 Wednesday.
If he was thinking about another down night (at least from a scoring perspective) or another Pistons loss (their sixth loss in eight games) he didn't say. Deliberate with his choice of words and soft spoken, he wasn't in a mood to reveal much.
"As long we all stay in it, we'll be fine. It's not an individual game," Drummond said. "Everybody has their streaks of shaky moments. It's an 82-game season. So, I'm not getting down on myself. I've just got to continue to play, continue to do whatever I can for things to start to fall for me."
But it has been a disappointing start for Drummond, who entered this season with the biggest expectations of his career. Coming of the 2013-14 season in which he averaged 13.5 points and 13.2 rebounds, Drummond was expected to make another jump in production with Stan Van Gundy coaching the Pistons.
Van Gundy had success for the Orlando Magic with Dwight Howard, and the Pistons counted on Drummond making a bigger impact. In the preseason, it looked like Detroit would find a way to maximize its frontcourt of Drummond, Greg Monroe and Josh Smith.
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Drummond worked on his post-up game in the summer, bent on proving people that he could do more than dunk and rebound. But that hard work has not manifested itself in desirable results just yet. He's averaging just 8.6 points and shooting just 41.7% from the field.
"Am I surprised? No. It's all part of the game," Drummond said. "I just can't hang my head. We're trying to pick it up and try to start looking good as a team. I can't dwell on my individual performance. I've got to work like a team."
Against the Wizards, he had just two points, the same total he had in Detroit's loss to the Chicago Bulls on Monday. He didn't have a game with less than three points last season. The Pistons might win some games with a low scoring output from Drummond, but they're not going to win many. They need his scoring.
Some of it is Drummond's fault. He had foul trouble against the Wizards and played just 23 minutes and fouled out against the Bulls. Van Gundy was confounded, at the very least, by the foul problems.
"I don't have any idea," Van Gundy said.
But Drummond also took just three shots against the Wizards and five against the Bulls. He had just 19 touches against the Wizards, compared to 50 touches for Smith, 60 for Drummond, and 31 each for Caron Butler, Kyle Singler and Jonas Jerebko.
Drummond is receiving just 12.5 passes per game, which is less than any Pistons player who is receiving regular minutes, according to NBA.com/stats.
"I don't control how many touches I get in the game," Drummond said. "I just control what I can do on both ends of the floor. I just try to do my best."
Van Gundy said the Pistons need to keep looking for Drummond and pass the ball to him in the low post, especially when he's working hard for position. He told reporters it would be a major mistake to go away from Drummond.
After hearing repetitive questions about his touches, Drummond refused the bait and avoided calling out teammates.
"I don't control the touches I get in the paint. I just try to play hard. That's it," he said. "I'm going to keep giving you the same answer."
The answer is obvious. Drummond needs to stay out of foul trouble. The Pistons need to make sure he is getting significant touches in the paint. And Drummond must start making more of his shots.
Follow NBA insider Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter at @JeffZillgitt.
