In the last several weeks, there have been much chatter surrounding Andre Drummond's long-term future with the Detroit Pistons.

During a recent interview with Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, head coach Stan Van Gundy stated that the former All-Star center remains a huge part of the puzzle for the Pistons moving forward.

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“That’s going to be a big part of it with him this year,” Stan Van Gundy said. “To really get him to focus on the things that he does at not even a high level – at an elite level, and doing those well. So many times guys think the way to becoming great is to be able to do more and more things. In a lot of cases, it’s more doing the things that you already do at a higher level.”

This comes just a few days after Andre Drummond addressed the rumors stating that it has been tough on him and his family to deal with, likely stemming from the massive five-year, $127.1 million extension that he had inked last summer.

There were reports prior to the draft back in June that he was being shopped around for a first round pick near the top of the draft order but nothing truly came about. The 23-year-old has proven to be quite a reliable source of production through his first five years in the league.

That said, he did experience a drop in his numbers falling to 13.6 points and 13.8 rebounds per game this past season. This, coupled with the Pistons regressing after their first playoff appearance in seven years, led to rumors swirling about his sudden availability.

These comments from Stan Van Gundy should provide Andre Drummond with the reassurance that he is still a large part of the team's future.