The Detroit Pistons opened the 2018-19 regular-season with a 103-100 home win over the Brooklyn Nets and starting center Andre Drummond was a big reason why Detroit escaped with the narrow win.

Drummond put up a monster stat line, finishing with 24 points and 20 rebounds against the Nets. He became the first player in Pistons franchise history with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a season opener.

The All-Star also became just the sixth player in NBA history with 20 points and 20 rebounds in a season opener in the 3-point era, joining Hassan Whiteside, Kevin Garnett, Charles Barkley, Shawn Kemp, and Robert Parish.

This is a big season for Andre Drummond and the Pistons, who are under the guidance of former Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey now. Drummond lost approximately 20 pounds this summer and even worked on his 3-point shooting in an effort to become more versatile. Now that LeBron James is out West, the Pistons should contend for a playoff spot in what figures to be a wide-open race in the East.

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In 78 games last season, Andre Drummond averaged 15.0 points and 16.0 rebounds while shooting 52.9 percent from the field. He also shot a career-high 60.5 percent from the free-throw line.

The Pistons acquired All-Star forward Blake Griffin from the Los Angeles Clippers at the 2018 February trade deadline. Detroit was expected to make a playoff push in the Eastern Conference after trading for Griffin, but that never transpired.

Injuries did play a role as Griffin, Drummond and guard Reggie Jackson were only in the lineup together for a mere four games. All three players are healthy now and, with Drummond leading the way, the Pistons could make some noise.