Andre Drummond reacted to his name being floated in several potential trades better than anyone anticipated. The Detroit Pistons big man posted 20 points and nine rebounds in the first half of his team's game against the New York Knicks on Friday night, becoming the first player to reach those thresholds since Hall-of-Famer Grant Hill nearly 20 years ago.
Andre Drummond is first Piston with 20 points & 9 rebounds (or better) in first half since Grant Hill on May 2, 1999.
— Austin Drake (@austin_drake) February 9, 2019
Andre Drummond has regressed in 2018-19 after being named to his second All-Star game a season ago. Teammate Blake Griffin, meanwhile, has reinvented his game to emerge as a player worth building around — playing a point-forward role of sorts en route to scoring 26.1 points per game on a true shooting percentage of 59.3, both career-highs.
The Pistons, however, are just 24-29 on the season, one and-a-half games back of the Miami Heat for eighth in the Eastern Conference.
It was always more likely than not that Drummond would remain in Detroit beyond the trade deadline. The Pistons lack the assets necessary to easily facilitate blockbuster trade discussions, and Drummond is overpaid with two years and nearly $56 million remaining on his contract beyond this season.
After a deadline marked by multiple minor moves, coach Dwane Casey seemed to suggest Drummond is no longer the foundation piece he seemed to be as recently as last season.
“To get that extra star [alongside Griffin], we don’t have that flexibility,” Casey explained to Keith Langois of Pistons.com, implicitly submitting that Drummond isn't a star. “That’s not happening. But we’re starting it.”
Maybe Drummond is starting it all by himself? The Pistons won the game against the Knicks, 120-103 and Drummond finished with 29 points and 20 boards.
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