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I can read what the metrics are saying about him, but does eye test say drummond is playing elite defense so far? I watched them play the pacers and the nets, and he is moving his feet like a guy who weighs 60 pounds less than he does, he is protecting the rim and still averaging damn near 20 rebounds a game. are pistons fans seeing this as well? Yeah he gets tired, but still looks very improved.

To break it down a its simplest form, "his defense is sh?t"

He has been awesome on both ends of the floor. A lot of Pistons fans are pretty jaded with Drummond though so you will see a lot of them instantly complain the second he takes a play off or misses a defensive rotation or something but yes, he has been spectacular defensively this season.

His D, just like the rest of his play, is pretty hit or miss. He has games where he flat out dominates both ends and you have no problems giving him a max contract. Then he has games where he looks completely uninterested and plays with the bballiq of a rock. Its then when you pray that he opts out and never plays for this team again.

I think he has more good games than bad, but it is hard to overlook the games where he doesnt give a **** because they happen more than they should for a guy looking for a max deal.

His defense has really turned a corner this season. He used to get blocks and steals gambling and getting burned frequently in the past but he’s been awesome this season.

It’s almost like watching a completely different player because his instincts have improved so much.

DetroitPistons wrote:He has been awesome on both ends of the floor. A lot of Pistons fans are pretty jaded with Drummond though so you will see a lot of them instantly complain the second he takes a play off or misses a defensive rotation or something but yes, he has been spectacular defensively this season.

This right here. They expect him to be max effort every play of every game and doesn't expect the same from any other player on the team.

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If anyone says Dre is bad defensively they're just trying to build credibility as a "read beyond the metrics" type.

He has looked awesome quite a bit this season. It's a contract year, so there's some resentment there, but he has improved every year and is just in his 'prime. Lot of season left. No one denies his physical talent, and he has obviously worked on his game.

Despite similarly huge numbers in all games this season, I'd say he's only had a defensive presence in about half those games. I'll give him credit, last night he was awesome in all areas. If you get that 3 out of every 4 games then he's certainly a max player. Will be interesting to see if he can maintain it throughout the season, he has started well the last few seasons.

I'd still be very apprehensive to extend him. There are still questions over his mental fragility and ability to stay motivated. If it's more of the same it would mire us in mediocrity for even longer yet.

Totally awesome defensively. How else could the Pistons have achieved their lofty 3-4 record and be 27th in the NBA in points given up in the paint?

This season, Drummond has been spectacular in all aspects of the game.

After that Toronto game there were Piston fans ready to slingshot Andre into the Detroit River and after a comeback win against the Nets now it's all "he's been excellent on both sides of the floor".

This thread is going to be a 25+ page roller coaster of changing opinions all season.

Teams always suck on a back to back. Not getting too high on this win. All of a sudden Andre and Bruce Brown are the next Ben Wallace and Chauncey Billups

Manocad wrote:Totally awesome defensively. How else could the Pistons have achieved their lofty 3-4 record and be 27th in the NBA in points given up in the paint?

Yeah it has nothing to do with the guards giving up the drive and Andre having to cover two players.


I swear, I dont even get the hate against Andre sometimes. At least make sense when you criticize the guy.

No one, I mean no one, gives max effort and plays great 100% of the time. MJ, the all-time leader in intensity, still looked disinterested during the regular season at times.

That said, in previous years, Drummond looked like he came to play far less than half of the time. That, and his questionable shot selection and iffy defensive instincts, turned his immense physical talent into a borderline Eastern conference all-star.

It's too early to judge this year, but so far, he's playing harder a larger percentage of the time. He's taking less stupid shots (or perhaps he's worked on them enough that they aren't as stupid now), and he's playing smarter defense. The guy is still 26. He's about to enter the three or four year period in which he's still at his physical peak and then hits his basketball IQ peak as well. If he WANTS it, and it isn't just about getting another fat contract, he can string together a bunch of all-star seasons.

We shall see. I want it to be true, but that doesn't make it true.

Some literal back-of-the-envelope math shows opposing main Cs scoring 17ppg on 55% FG against the Pistons.

zeebneeb wrote:

Manocad wrote:Totally awesome defensively. How else could the Pistons have achieved their lofty 3-4 record and be 27th in the NBA in points given up in the paint?

Yeah it has nothing to do with the guards giving up the drive and Andre having to cover two players.


I swear, I dont even get the hate against Andre sometimes. At least make sense when you criticize the guy.

And I swear, I don’t get the love for Andre when his lack of motivation and attitude issues have plagued his play during his entire career. At least make sense if you’re going to sing his praises.

Andre sometimes plays like an NBA MVP and sometimes plays like garbage. And at $27 million a year, yeah—you’re f***ing A right I have a problem with that. I don’t think the Pistons can win a championship as long as he’s a key piece in their lineup and have no problem saying so; IMO he just doesn’t have the desire/drive to get it done day in and day out, and that’s what you need from all your key players if you expect to win anything.

I don't think there is any doubt that we are still getting a mix of good dre and bad dre defensively..... but we are getting more good dre than in years past. When he's "on" he plays like a beast and dominates. Obviously he can't do that for 48 every night, but he still has some stuff to clean up on his "off" possessions. It's really simple basketball fundamental stuff too, which is why fans get frustrated. On the plays where he isn't high energy, if he just keeps his position and gets his hands up to make guys shoot over him, he'd be in the conversation for the all-defensive team. When you are as big as dre, sometimes just being there with your hands up is enough to a make it a tough shot.

zeebneeb wrote:

Manocad wrote:Totally awesome defensively. How else could the Pistons have achieved their lofty 3-4 record and be 27th in the NBA in points given up in the paint?

Yeah it has nothing to do with the guards giving up the drive and Andre having to cover two players.


I swear, I dont even get the hate against Andre sometimes. At least make sense when you criticize the guy.

Exactly. No one wants to talk about the matador defense on the perimeter. Against us, even 3rd string players drive into the paint with ease every single game.

King Bugs wrote:After that Toronto game there were Piston fans ready to slingshot Andre into the Detroit River and after a comeback win against the Nets now it's all "he's been excellent on both sides of the floor".

This thread is going to be a 25+ page roller coaster of changing opinions all season.

Preach!

This board definitely has a hot & cold what have you did for me lately type of attitude. A lot of regular posters on here will use extremely small sample sizes to base their opinion on something in that one moment. However if the next extremely small sample contradicts their previous stance, they change their opinion based on freshest sample.