What would Drummond’s success at FT line mean for Detroit Pistons? by Braden Shackelford

Detroit Pistons fans are no stranger to free throw troubles, at least after having been exposed to Andre Drummond’s poor shooting for the last few years. But through the 2017-18 preseason, he seems to have turned a switch, going 16-20 from the foul line. And that is incredible to say the least.

Andre Drummond has made himself well-known in the NBA due to his rebounding and athleticism at 6’10”. But he’s also known for his poor free throws, historically bad free throws. His career percentage stands at 38.1, which is the worst the league has ever seen.

Drummond, however, focused extensively this off-season on his foul shooting with a personal coach and repetition. And it’s seemingly paid off. Throughout the five game preseason, Drummond shot 80 percent.

I find this incredibly exciting, but I do have a habit of getting ahead of myself. This is an incredibly small sample size, and could easily be proved an abnormality through the rigors of the regular season grind. Despite that this could be a random sweet spot in Drummond’s career percentage, I think I will remain optimistic until proven wrong.

Some notes on the Milwaukee v. Detroit preseason game.

The more I see of our young core (i.e. Henry Ellenson and Luke Kennard) the less I want to see them on the court in real games. They lack the offensive consistency and are constantly being exposed on defense against stronger, more athletic players. Until they develop more, I won’t be comfortable with them on the hardwood.

As much as I want to see Boban Marjanovic take the NBA by storm with his per 36 minutes stats, his defense is too much of a liability. He was embarrassed too many times by John Henson to justify him being out there against any semi athletic centers.

Everyone has a cautious eye on Reggie Jackson, and rightfully so. We’re all worried that he won’t be able to return to the Jackson that brought us to the playoffs two years ago. And the more I see of him on the court the less and less I believe he’s going to within this year. I didn’t see his explosiveness in this game, and if that’s from getting roughed up throughout the past four games, there’s no way he’ll make it through the season. Maybe it’s just tired legs though, that could be a valid excuse.

Despite just 8 points and 5 assists against the Bucks, Ish Smith has continued to impress this preseason. His speed helps the Detroit Pistons get quick transition buckets, especially when the squad is playing solid defense. As strange as it feels to say it, I am liking him more than Reggie Jackson right now. He was consistently on the edge of a double-double with points and assists.

The Detroit Pistons continued to be a terrible third quarter team. Detroit was outscored 35-20 in the third, letting the Bucks get control of the game and squeeze out the win. Until fixed, I see Detroit losing multiple close games.

As cynical as I was in those notes, they were meant to be criticisms. I am pretty ecstatic that the season starts soon. I look forward to staying with the team while they work through these problems.