Pistons' Andre Drummond starting to see the light

Orlando, Fla. — Orlando Magic forward Tobias Harris had Kyle Singler at his mercy on the post, before a massive eclipse blocked his path to the basket and forced him to pass to a cutting Elfrid Payton, who was headed for a layup.

The same eclipse nimbly and powerfully went back to protect his territory, as the force of Andre Drummond's clean blocked shot on Payton sent Payton sprawling to the floor in shock — simultaneously triggering a lightning-quick Pistons fast break and starting a 20-point rout.

Drummond's 30-minute performance of 17 points, 22 rebounds and three blocked shots played a huge part in the Pistons recording their third straight double-digit win for the first time since the 2007-08 season, but one has to wonder whether after he started the season in an admitted funk, the light has come on for the precocious 21-year-old big man.

"It was definitely a good play," Drummond said. "I take my hat off … to Stan (Van Gundy) for beating it in my head the past couple months. It's started to really pay off and I'm starting to become the defensive anchor for my team."

Drummond's December became one to remember, as his averages of 15.6 points, 14 rebounds and 2.2 blocks qualify as the best full month of his career. In April he averaged 18.4 points and 17.4 rebounds in eight games, but the season was mercifully coming to an end.

This time around, Drummond's production is coming when the team is trying to make the games matter after a miserable start, and the sample size showing of 17.3 points and 15 rebounds since the Pistons released Josh Smith is certainly a good sign for future production.

"I think he's a great, young, raw talent," said Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler two weeks ago. "His effort, persistence on the glass. He's very athletic. He's got a lot of potential to do some special things in this league."

Chandler entered the NBA as a 19-year old out of high school in 2001, the same age Drummond was after being drafted in 2012. Although Chandler's numbers aren't eye-popping, he's been a defensive anchor for the New Orleans Hornets, Mavericks, New York Knicks and now again with Dallas after being reacquired during the offseason.

With a healthy Chandler on the backline, the Knicks had their best season in eons two years ago, winning 54 games. Without him, the Knicks are mightily struggling, particularly defensively.

Before that, he was the last line of defense in helping the Mavericks upset the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals. The veteran center said the defensive development didn't come overnight, especially considering his early struggles with the Chicago Bulls in his first few years.

"It's definitely instinctive," Chandler said. "But it's definitely growth, going about defense in a different way and understanding what offense is trying to accomplish out there, and understanding my own teammates. That took some time."

More than most, Chandler knows the long road young big men have to travel, especially those who have more athleticism than basketball know-how when entering a man's league.

"It's because, point guards and big men, you're the quarterback," Chandler said. "You're the leader of the defense and a lot of times, you're the anchor of the offense because if you're involved the way he is and myself, setting pick and rolls and rolling, you may not get the points, but your activity, you're actually creating offense for others."

Van Gundy echoed Chandler's sentiments, crediting Drummond's quickness in playing a part in Jodie Meeks' red-hot shooting night, when Meeks drilled nine 3-pointers.

"We told Andre, when he rolls hard to the rim, he created four of those shots for Jodie," Van Gundy said. "A lot of things those guys do offensively don't show up on the stat sheet but are really important to us being able to get good shots."

Drummond's offensive skill set is still very much a work in progress, but there's a clear difference in the way he approaches getting post-ups now compared to the start of the season. Before, he was almost too patient, waiting on double teams and appearing unsure of his moves — moves that are still in the infancy stages.

Now when he catches, he goes immediately against defenders, exploiting his greatest advantage, his quickness. NBA Hall of Famer Moses Malone made a living out of throwing the ball against the glass, just because he knew he could retrieve it and score better and quicker than the opposition.

Drummond has picked up that tactic.

"Yeah, I'm not gonna lie," said Drummond with a guilty smile. "I do it from time to time because I know I can get it. I have a quick second jump."

What Drummond lacks in the offensive polish of his contemporaries, he makes up for with energy and athleticism when he brings it. Chandler saw Drummond score 19 points and grab 24 rebounds in their Dec. 17 meeting at The Palace, and was definitive in his words about Drummond's potential offensive growth.

"The more you get a chance to play and make those reads, the better you're gonna grow …b ut it takes time," Chandler said. "Not every team has a big man, a ready-made back to the basket type guy, where you're gonna feed him and he's gonna get a rhythm. He's not gonna get touches like that.

"So his game experience and understanding the way guys play him, he'll get better and better as the years go."

In other words, beware?

vgoodwill@detroitnews.com

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Pistons at Knicks

Tip-off: 7:30 Friday, Madison Square Garden, New York

TV/radio: FSD/105.1 FM

Outlook: The Knicks have lost nine straight and are a game ahead of the 76ers for the league's worst record. ... The Pistons have won their last three games by an average of 18.7 points.