Detroit Pistons Are Moving Back to Competitive Basketball
The Detroit Pistons organization has three championships. Their first and second championships were back-to-back titles in 1989 and 1990. They won their last World Champion title in 2004, almost a decade ago.
No matter how many first round picks they got, they could never seem to get all the right pieces of the puzzle to fit. For the 2013-2014 season the Detroit Pistons seem to be breathing new air.
Have you seen them lately? The rebirth is coming in Detroit.
Andre Drummond
“It’s alive, It’s ALIVE!” – Dr. Henry Frankenstein said from the 1931 horror film Frankenstein. If the fictional Frankenstein had seen Pistons C Andre Drummond play from last year to this year, he would say the same thing.
Andre Drummond, aka the Pistons best draft decision since Greg Monroe in 2010 and even Grant Hill in 1994, is the go-to man in Detroit. He stands at 6-foot-10 and a strong 270 pounds but the 19-year-old is light on his feet.
He shared minutes with big man center Monroe and suffered a back injury in February. Therefore, he wasn’t the key piece on the floor at all times. Post injury, Drummond adjusted back to the NBA-game-pace almost instantly. Easily, he got back in his groove with his standard 20.7 MPG rotation.
Last season, Drummond averaged 7.9 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 1.6 BPG. However, in only five games, Drummond averaged 15.5 PPG, 14.8 RPG, and 2.0 BPG. Granted, the competition isn’t as heavy as a regular season NBA game would be. You can see it in his game that he’s got more of a hunger to win.
Tony Mitchell
You’re probably wondering if Drummond and Monroe are the only stars on the team. The answer is no.
During the Orlando Summer League another potential star emerged; PF Tony Mitchell.
Who is Tony Mitchell? No one really knew who the forward from North Texas Mean Green was coming out after his sophomore year. His play slipped a little after his freshman year, going from First Team All-Conference in 2012 to Second Team All-Conference in 2013. In college, Mitchell finished his last season averaging 13.0 PPG and 8.5 RPG.
Mitchell has a bit of an attitude adjustment to make. Since the Sun Belt doesn’t usually frequent the Top 25, he has no reason to act like a divo for calls on the court. Aside from that, don’t discredit his potential! He wasn’t huge in offensive production but his defense was “starting forward-esque”. He’s not good enough to be Drummond or Monroe’s backup yet but if he puts on a couple pounds, there’s no telling what he can do!
The 6-foot-9 and 236-pound Wisconsin native averaged 25.2 MPG, 6.2 RPG, and 7.8 PPG during the Orlando Summer League. He was a joy to watch!
Backcourt to be reckoned with?
Drummond has become beastly Monroe excited to play a duo role with him. With the addition of Mitchell to the Monroe/Drummond backcourt, Pistons defense could be the hot topic of the 2013-2014 season.
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