Detroit Pistons Star Andre Drummond Goes Old School, Makes NBA All-Star Roster

Detroit Pistons star Andre Drummond is proving that the old school and traditional centers are not yet extinct in the NBA, mostly because of the advent of more athletic and versatile big men who do their damage from the perimeter, by making the All-Star team as a reserve, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Andre Drummond likes to make his living by scoring with a variety of low post moves just a couple of feet away from the basket, grab rebounds at a rate that would make Chicago Bulls legend Dennis Rodman proud, and play defense by protecting the rim, a combination of skills that is pretty rare to find in the NBA nowadays.

Longtime NBA fans look at Andre Drummond and are reminded of the days when New York Knicks’ Patrick Ewing, Houston Rockets’ Hakeem Olajuwon, Los Angeles Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal and San Antonio Spurs’ David Robinson were the cream of the crop in the league.

Back when Greg Monroe, who joined the Milwaukee Bucks via free agency last year, was with the Detroit Pistons, Andre Drummond was considered an asset only on the defensive side of the ball, but the 22-year-old New York native developed into a complete player and may quite possibly be the best overall center in the NBA.

Along with former Oklahoma Thunder guard Reggie Jackson, whom many had expected to shine once he got away from the gigantic shadows of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, Andre Drummond led the Detroit Pistons to a 25-21 record, which is good enough to currently occupy the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Stan Van Gundy is probably one or two players away from being able to compete with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers for the chance to make it to the NBA Finals, and a large part of that is because of the improvement that Andre Drummond has made over the past couple of seasons.

Over the next couple of seasons, Andre Drummond should find himself as a regular member of the All Star team, especially if NBA teams continue to have trouble finding quality big men and the Detroit Pistons continue to be one of the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference.

When it comes to competition for All Star votes in the Eastern Conference, Andre Drummond is going to have to compete with the likes of Kristaps Porzingis, who has rejuvenated the New York Knicks by showing that he is the clear successor to Carmelo Anthony as the franchise player for the long-suffering franchise.

Another player that Andre Drummond might need to compete with for All-Star votes is Jahlil Okafor of the Philadelphia 76ers, a player that might prevent himself from achieving greatness in the NBA because he cannot avoid making headlines for things that happen off the court.

LSU forward Ben Simmons, who had been compared to Los Angeles legend Magic Johnson and Cleveland Cavaliers Star LeBron James, is going to be in the NBA sooner than later, and his versatile skill set should make him a candidate to win All-Star votes that might normally go to Andre Drummond.

Dwight Howard might be another NBA player who steals All-Star votes from Andre Drummond, as the Houston Rockets center might be venturing back to an Eastern Conference team via free agency this summer because he reportedly has been having issues with James Harden, a player that likes to dominate the ball and shoot boat loads of shots every game.

Despite all the competition, Andre Drummond will likely be on the All-Star team a couple more times in the upcoming years because of his commitment to improving as a player.

[Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images]