Drummond Looks Great Until You Watch Him Play
By: Dennis Fithian
There's a lot to like about Andre Drummond the Pistons first round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. Incredible size at 6-11, 279-pounds Drummond already has an NBA body before he turns 19 this August. If you keep a casual eye on college basketball you've known about the ninth overall pick in this year's draft for a couple years. That's my problem. I watched Drummond play more than five games last year for UConn. When I tuned in to see the top big man in country, I always came away disappointed. After a number of games, watching the best or second best ranked freshman in the country (along with Anthony Davis) I could only think of one thing. Where is he? I've never looked down at a score sheet this often to verify a number. Yes, Drummond number 12, and he's out there. When's he going to do something? Andre Drummond, when you watch him play a game totally disappears on the court. So, UConn was full of ball hogs and their coach was gone most of the year which led to a dysfunctional team. Big men take time to develop. The kid left high school early to head to Connecticut. I understand all of it. I also know that you can't teach size and athleticism and Drummond is off the charts with his measurables. Pistons head coach Lawrence Frank said he likes Drummond's hands and character. In the NBA, teams draft for potential. In Andre Drummond, the Pistons got a lot of potential. I see the potential, but after watching repeated Huskies games last year, that's all I saw.
