Who knows and who cares? For all we know he could have been a total bust if La Tank started him from game 1 or played him 7MPG but now he's the talk of the league and everyone is raving about how he should have been drafted 2nd. With that said, it's time to start him now.
This team needs an alpha dog. Or another alpha dog - a player whose competative and dominating character shapes the team. Knight has taken a step back in this regard. He's a better player skill wise but last season he had a few games where his competativeness affected the team in a tangible way. Now there's just a few minutes here or there. Monroe is not that guy. He can work hard but its a personal thing. As mentioned by others here, i think the psyche of the team is shaped around Tayshaun's veteran experience - and that's why it gets down on itself once things start to go south. Drummond is not that guy either. People have been so eager to exploit his gifts that he's never had the opportunity to truly compete where your will to win is the last x factor.
We're supposed to credit Frank for taking 25 games to realize that Drummond has physically stood up to his opponents and produced from the start of the year? He's probably been their most consistent player.
I disagree about Drummond. Drummond is an alpha dog because he isn't content not handling the ball, setting screens and taking jump hooks. Think of some of the moves he has already made this year. He's not intimidated standing next to the league's elite. He knows he belongs. Playing next to Drummond will give Monroe a swagger. This team is ready to attempt to develop and identity. Drop the leash.
I believe you're measuring in numbers and stats, all you have to do is watch Dre play now as opposed to when he first got here, there are aspects of his game where you can visually see a marked improvement from being coached. At the end of the day, he's waaaaay better NOW than when he arrived, so whatever they are doing (no matter how stupid we think it is) is resulting in an improved Andre Drummond; and by many standards that result is a net gain for THIS team.
And why is that a bad thing? I'd much rather watch a competitive team win 50 games and get bounced in the 2nd round than to watch the crap we've had to endure as of late. Also, Joe has at least shown the ability to turn a 50 win team into a champion. I'm sorry but the Championship or Bust model doesn't sit well with me as it results in watching a BUST 95% of the time. Nothing wrong with going from awful, to respectable, to good and then to great.
From the start he's contested shots, gone strong after defensive boards, run the court and attempted shots/moves that no 1,2 or 3 on the team would try. He's getting more refined from playing more. The teams "plan" could have been accomplished in 3 games. Who has been a more consistent player this year?
I want a team that consistently wins 50-60 games per season again.........Kinda like when Flip was here.
Drummond is having success and his confidence is growing. He appears fatigued when he plays for more than 5 minutes in a stretch. Injuries occur when guys are tired. When a player is not getting as many minutes as he would like, he stays hungry. Drummond is healthy, hungry, and he is getting better every game. Whether it's a calculated plan for Drummond or it's just dumb luck, what they are doing with him is working perfectly.
I couldn't agree more. I haven't seen as many Pistons games this season as I would like, but the ones I have seen, the team frequently seems gassed by the start of the fourth. I wonder if they should move away from saunas and banana smoothies and start running laps.
This was Knight and Monroe's team. Drummond changed the equation. This would have been a sad year with Knight and Monroe essentially stalling in their development so instead of that pair leading a lot of Piston wins, they have been part of a lot of the Piston losses. Now the question is who will fit in with Drummond and it is a positive question? Monroe should be a better player next to Drummond but he must get coaching on how to finish around the hoop and he must get a jumper. Best case scenario is a Monroe/Drummond tandem. But really, if Drummond develops as we all expect, he is the only mainstay going forward. Keep in mind, there was no Drummond in the picture just a moment back and that the kid is only 19. Monroe must adapt to playing with Drummond and not the other way around. Going forward, this team desperately needs a point guard. The wins won't come with any consistency without someone who can run the team, get into the lane consistently, set up Monroe and Drummond, and take a role in playing perimeter defense. The Pistons need to draft a college player with the 7th pick that is actually a point guard. That is a high enough pick to nab the future general of the team. Let Knight develop but not in a pivotal role where the whole team's future is at stake. The point guard position is too important in this league and Drummond/Monroe too reliant on a good point guard. Knight, at the moment, is only the 3rd young piece on the team and may be the fourth after this year's draft. Drummond has changed the whole Piston equation.
Drummond covers a lot of the court when he plays. I don't think he'll learn how to rest during the game by not playing.
In high school, he played about 25 minutes per game for 25 games per season for 4 years. In one year of college, he averaged 28 minutes per game for 34 games. Drummond's minutes are slowly ramping up: October: 12.0 minutes per game November: 17.3 minutes per game December: 21.1 minutes per game If Drummond averages 24 minutes per game on the season, he will log exactly twice the minutes he played as an 18-year old at Connecticut. The kid is only 19 years old. I still don't see the rush. [Doing research, I saw that he averaged 7.2 blocks per game in his sophomore year of high school.]
Interesting. And I hadn't even thought about this. HAs anyone went to Monroe and said, it's up to YOU to figure out how to play with HIM! As a I watch plenty of college hoops, I believe Trey Burke is the best PG in college basketball right now. He reminds me a lot of Chris Paul when Chris Paul was in college, but I'm not convinced that Trey's game will elevate in the NBA the way CP3's game did. Not sure I would take him over Otto Porter. But I would trade down to draft Burke in a heartbeat
I don't watch college like you guys but as you hint, there are undoubtedly a few true point guards who could step in and run the team. The Pistons will draft high enough to get someone who is not a project. Even if Knight does pan out, it will not hurt at all to have a true point guard on the roster.
Based on where we are as a team right now, players to watch: PG: Trey Burke (Michigan) SG: Ben McLemore (Kansas) and Archie Goodwin (Kentucky) SF: Otto Porter (Georgetown)
Yea scary thing is he still doesn't have his MAN body, I'm happy with how he's being brought along... I want more like everybody else but I can keep my rational brain firing and understand the need to keep the clamps on abit. I do think we need to maneuver his mins abit different so he can be in there to close though, thats the next step IMO is to play more pressure mins.
Slow down you move to fast. You got to make the moment last. NBA Basketball Power Rankings - National Basketball Association - ESPN
