Andre Drummond has sometimes failed to exert himself to maximum capacity throughout his career.
In 2018-19, though, the Detroit Pistons big man put together perhaps the finest season of his career, and more consistent effort on a game-by-game basis was one of the biggest reasons why. But on Saturday against the Milwaukee Bucks, with his team staring up from a deep 0-2 hole, Drummond's penchant for lackadaisical play came back to haunt him – or at least that's what fans at Little Caesar's Arena seemed to believe, booing him at certain points throughout Milwaukee's 119-103 victory.
After the game, Blake Griffin defended his teammate, stressing that Drummond has been an integral part of the Pistons' success not just this season, but in years past, too.
“You never want to hear that, especially from your home crowd,” he said, per Ben Golliver of the Washington Post. “He's busted his ass and played hard for this franchise for I don't know how many years now, and we wouldn't be where we are without him. So if that was directed at him personally, I don't really understand it.”
Drummond had 12 points, 12 rebounds, four steals, three blocks, and four turnovers in Game 4. He shot just 5-of-14 from the field, badly missing several shots around the rim early in the game. His defense on Bucks center Brook Lopez left much to be desired, too, especially in the second quarter when he offered not even a half-hearted close-out on the sharp-shooting big man, rendering boos from Detroit's home crowd.
Griffin, by the way, played for the first time in this series, finishing with 27 points, seven rebounds, and six assists while also making life hard for Giannis Antetkounmpo on the other end. He missed the last two games while dealing with nagging pain in his left.
Game 4, when Milwaukee will try for a sweep a majority of league followers predicted, is on Monday.
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