Two seasons ago, Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond shot 39 percent from the free-throw line. Next season, he's going to start putting up 3-pointers.
That's if you believe what Drummond said after being spotted working on his 3-point stroke during last week's Team USA minicamp in Las Vegas. You see lots of big men taking 3-pointers during and after practice, but that doesn't mean it will necessarily become part of their offensive arsenal. However, the 6-foot-11 Drummond told Joseph Casciaro of theScore that he's ready to start breaking out his new weapon in actual games ... that count.
"I don't do stuff (on the court) just to have fun," Drummond said. "If I'm taking those shots, (it's because) I'm working on it for the upcoming season. Those are shots that I'm gonna be taking.
"I make at least 200 corner 3s every day before I leave the gym. I'm getting them up. I'm getting the same shot up over and over again, so I'm getting more comfortable with it. It's been great so far."
Let's go live to new Pistons coach Dwane Casey for his initial reaction:
Clearly the role of NBA centers is changing as many start to make their way out to the 3-point line, but Drummond has yet to stretch his range beyond the free-throw line -- forget the 3-point line. According to NBA.com stats, Drummond took just nine shots from beyond 15 feet last season (not counting heaves from beyond half-court), and he missed all of them. He wasn't much better from the 5-14 foot range either, shooting just 29 percent. Basically, Drummond dominated where you would expect him to dominate -- in the restricted area.
Drummond also put up a handful of 3s last year, and his shot looked ... um, well, see for yourself.
That aside, the 24-year-old made tremendous strides from the free-throw line last season. After shooting a putrid 38 percent from the line in the first five seasons of his career, Drummond improved to a respectable 61 percent in 2017-18, which was also his best season yet. So you can see why he feels that the 3-pointer is just his next obstacle to conquer.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Plenty of big men (Dwight Howard comes to mind) have announced their intent to expand their range during the summer months, only to revert to their traditional offensive game once the regular season rolls around. We'll have to wait and see with Drummond, but it will be a truly miraculous turnaround if he's able to start making 3-pointers consistently.
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