Drummond Workout 6/14/12

[bajaden]

I'll be honest, I didn't really watch him for his offense.
To me, if we draft him and he never develops an offensive game that will be perfectly fine as long as he can reach his massive defensive potential.

I remember him taking a lot of post fade-away jumpers that didn't go in, but most of his points seemed to come from running the floor in transition, offensive-rebound put-backs, and guards dumping it to him right under the basket.

You have to understand that UCONN had Shabaz Napier and Boatwright as their two guards, and they both dominated the ball on the offensive-end. That is actually one of the biggest criticisms of Jeremy Lamb. Lamb was the best offensive player on the entire team, but he didn't demand the ball and get it out of the hands of Napier and Boatwright the way that he should have.

So if the team's best offensive player was having problems getting the ball enough, imagine how difficult it would have been for Drummond who came to the team late and isn't a major offensive star.

So I basically give him a pass for not being a good offensive player last year. My concerns for him are the fact that he didn't rebound the ball or impact the game in other ways to show he was supposed to be the top 1/2 college player in the game.

I agree with this, but one of my problems with Drummond, wasn't that they didn't get him the ball after he fought for post position, it was that he didn't even fight for post position. At times he looked like he didn't want to be there. I'd keep waiting for him to just explode and take over the game, especially when matched up with a player 3 to 4 inched shorter than him, and it never, never happened. He was like a big tease. You just kept waiting and waiting and waiting. Very disappointing..

 

[Siranthony]

If we take Robinson or MKG over Drummond I have no problem. But if we pass on him for other players I think it will be a mistake. It may take a couple of years but he will be good. He was a rookie in college, probably like a deer in the headlights. His potential is there. Just because there are rumors about him doesn't really mean anything.

The last athlete I heard a lot of trash about before he was drafted was Aaron Rogers. The niners could have had him.

 

[SacTownKid]

I agree with this, but one of my problems with Drummond, wasn't that they didn't get him the ball after he fought for post position, it was that he didn't even fight for post position. At times he looked like he didn't want to be there. I'd keep waiting for him to just explode and take over the game, especially when matched up with a player 3 to 4 inched shorter than him, and it never, never happened. He was like a big tease. You just kept waiting and waiting and waiting. Very disappointing..

I guess it's good that the Kings wouldn't be asking him to take over any games then.

 

[bajaden]

To be fair to Drummond, when Uconn had their backs against the walls in the tourney, I saw him make numerous big plays by blocking shots when the game was on the line. Offensively is a different story mainly because Napier think's he's LeBron, but I think he deserves credit for making some big defensive plays for them. Sorry I can't be more specific on the games it happened in, but I specifically remember being surprised that he came up big, simply because I had been so disappointed in his play before this.

This is the one glimmer of hope I have for him if we end up drafting him. His ability to block shots and make his presence felt defensively. Unfortunately UCONN went out of the tourney very quickly. I was really praying for a UCONN/Vanderbilt matchup. But it never happened. What also didn't happen enough, was him impacting a game. Offensively, I agree. UCONN was a very dysfunctional team. Napier was trying all year to be the second coming of Kemba Walker.

 

[bajaden]

Hope it's us.

Be careful what you wish for! Reality has a way of destroying dreams.

 

[Boogie-havoc]

If we do indeed end up drafting him, I'm praying Clifford Ray can work some magic.

+1 on the post - and this last bit is pretty much the only reason keeping me from completely erasing him and the only argument that can somehow keep the pro-Drummonad fans alive in my opinion.

 

[bajaden]

If we take Robinson or MKG over Drummond I have no problem. But if we pass on him for other players I think it will be a mistake. It may take a couple of years but he will be good. He was a rookie in college, probably like a deer in the headlights. His potential is there. Just because there are rumors about him doesn't really mean anything.

The last athlete I heard a lot of trash about before he was drafted was Aaron Rogers. The niners could have had him.

I'm not basing my opinion on Drummond on rumors. I'm basing on seeing him play close to 20 times this year. Davis was a rookie in college this year as was MKG. They both impacted the game. So am I susposed to give Drummond a free pass when he didn't accomplish what they did. Davis and MKG made if look at times like there were two of each of them on the floor. Durmmond with all his athleticism and physical ability, didn't come close to doing what they did. They didn't need any excuses. They went out and busted their butts every damm game. Drummond didn't!!!!!! I can't make it any clearer than that.

 

[bajaden]

I guess it's good that the Kings wouldn't be asking him to take over any games then.

Now on this we agree mi amigo!

 

[Gary]

I guess it's good that the Kings wouldn't be asking him to take over any games then.

But what they would be asking him to do there are other players in the draft further down the board that can do it a lot better than he can.. So wasting a 5th pick on Drummond makes no sense.

His defense is subpar (because he's only motivated to play D about half the time), offense is subpar, rebounding is subpar. So ask me, what do we want him to do? He's not your typical weakside defender like a Fab Melo would be or perhaps Whiteside could be..

Why on earth do we want Drummond? I would like to hear your reason.. If you say it's because of potential then I will agree with you. He's got loads of it.. But if it's because of anything he's done at UCONN then I will have to call you out on that because he didn't prove anything.

 

[ParniValjak]

But what they would be asking him to do there are other players in the draft further down the board that can do it a lot better than he can.. So wasting a 5th pick on Drummond makes no sense.

His defense is subpar (because he's only motivated to play D about half the time), offense is subpar, rebounding is subpar. So ask me, what do we want him to do? He's not your typical weakside defender like a Fab Melo would be or perhaps Whiteside could be..

Why on earth do we want Drummond? I would like to hear your reason.. If you say it's because of potential then I will agree with you. He's got loads of it.. But if it's because of anything he's done at UCONN then I will have to call you out on that because he didn't prove anything.

Of course its on potential! Players with that size, athletic ability and potential don't come around too often and when you have one of the best big men coaches in the league on your payroll then you wouln't mind rolling the dice!

Having said that, I think the organization is desperate to try producing on the court so I am amlost certain that we will draft someone who will be productive straight away! We will pick whoever is left out of MKG, Robinson, Barnes or Beal and call it a day! Either that or trade the pick for a vet or trade down!

The owners, front office and coach do not have the luxury of picking a long term project! They need results straight away!

 

[Gilles]

I agree with this, but one of my problems with Drummond, wasn't that they didn't get him the ball after he fought for post position, it was that he didn't even fight for post position. At times he looked like he didn't want to be there. I'd keep waiting for him to just explode and take over the game, especially when matched up with a player 3 to 4 inched shorter than him, and it never, never happened. He was like a big tease. You just kept waiting and waiting and waiting. Very disappointing..

It's hard to keep fighting for position when you never get the damn ball. I watched 5 games looking for that and he hadn't receive the ball once after EASILY establishing and holding position.

 

[bajaden]

It's hard to keep fighting for position when you never get the damn ball. I watched 5 games looking for that and he hadn't receive the ball once after EASILY establishing and holding position.

You don't need anyone to get you the ball to fight for position to rebound!!! He didn't! As for fighting for post position, its a chicken or egg thing. If you can't do anything with the ball when you get it, and you can't pass the ball, you'll stop getting it. My problem is that he seldom asked for the ball in the post. Selfish PG or not, and Napier was a selfish PG, your not going to help your cause by just standing there and not fighting for position.

By the way, I went back to my notes on UCONN's lone game, and loss in the tourney against Iowa St, where 6'11", 270 pound Drummond got outplayed by 6'8", 270 pound Royce White. White had 15 pts, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 blocked shot. Drummond, in the biggest game of his basketball life to that date, had 2 pts, 3 rebounds, 0 assists, and 4 blocked shots.

Now maybe you can live with those stats simply because of his 4 blocked shots, but I can't. Drummond had a grand total of 14 assists all year. Just what the hell happened to all those beautiful passes he was making in that youtube video? This is a guy that shot 29% from the freethrow line.

 

[Glenn]

14 assists? Correct me if I am wrong and I don't know where to look this up but isn't it Barnes who had only 8 games in his two years of college where he had more than two assists? It's one of the top 5 and as it covered two years, that kind of narrows it down. Sorry for the partial brain slippage on my part. I don't know if he has no inteest in passing or what the explanation is but if he becomes a King, he better pass the ball. Doesn't seem like he couldn't. I suspect that when he got the ball he was expected to shoot.

 

[Gilles]

Do you need to watch a few clips of Drummond holding position and waiving his hand to Napear or Boatright, then they turn away? I watched all UConn games on tape because they usually were at the same time as Kentucky's and those were much more fun so I have recorded games on my computer.
Derrick Favors had 3 layups and 1 tip-in (10 points overall), 4 rebounds, 0 blocked shots, 2 turnovers and 5 fouls in his final game.
It's hard to pass the ball when you never touch it.

 

[Bricklayer]

Now Drummond had a grand total of 14 assists all year. Just what the hell happened to all those beautiful passes he was making in that youtube video? This is a guy that shot 29% from the freethrow line.

those arguments are always the ones that have weighed strongest in my mind FOR Drummond. If he had failed as the same player, then he failed. But he wasn't he same player. And that speaks to an external change. In this case possibly being misued/unused in the UConn system. In any case, you don't just forget how to pass anymore than you forget how to dribble. When you abruptly just stop doing it after changing teams/systems, that's highly suspicious.

 

[bajaden]

Do you need to watch a few clips of Drummond holding position and waiving his hand to Napear or Boatright, then they turn away? I watched all UConn games on tape because they usually were at the same time as Kentucky's and those were much more fun so I have recorded games on my computer.
Derrick Favors had 3 layups and 1 tip-in (10 points overall), 4 rebounds, 0 blocked shots, 2 turnovers and 5 fouls in his final game.
It's hard to pass the ball when you never touch it.

I guess I'll have to respectfully disagree. I watched close to 20 games, and yes, I did see him ask for the ball at times. And, I saw times where he did absolutely nothing. Look, he did the same thing in highschool. I'm not denying his talent, I'm suspect of his motivation to use it 100% of the time he's in the game. I saw times where he just disappeared. And if you didn't see that, then your a lone soldier, because just about everyone whose knowledge I respect saw the same thing I did. Why in the hell are all the NBA scouts afraid of this guy? Because they saw the same thing.

I saw moments in games where he looked like the greatest thing since sliced cheese. And then I didn't see it again. As I said, this isn't about his potential. Its about his motivation to bring it game after game. I don't like being negative about him. I wanted to see a great player. I wanted to come on this fourm and push for the Kings to find a way to draft him. But I can't honestly do that because of what I saw this past season. Now if you could convince me that he's a new man with a new attitude, then I'm on board. Because his potential is off the charts.

I watched Favors play at Georgia Tech, and you could visibly see the frustration on his face at times. He not only played with selfish guards, he played with untalented guards. It was a double whammy. He played with guards that were incapable of getting him the ball even if they wanted to. Most of the points that Favors scored throughout the year were on putbacks. Thats the only way he could get the ball. But Favors fought for rebounds and blocked out. Drummond relied on his athleticism for his rebounds. For his size and strength, he should have pulled down 10 boards a game. Too many times he let smaller players get inside position for rebounds (White). In that game against Iowa St., White, who weighs close to the same, but is shorter, just played a more physical game.

 

[Dreadnought]

The only players I am willing to draft ahead of Drummond are Robinson and MKG. If we take Beal or Barnes before Drummond, I'm going to be real mad.

 

[bajaden]

The only players I am willing to draft ahead of Drummond are Robinson and MKG. If we take Beal or Barnes before Drummond, I'm going to be real mad.

Be prepared to be real mad... And I'll tell you why I think that. I don't think the Kings are interested in drafting a player thats not ready to contribute right away. Both the players you mentioned, are more game ready than Drummond. And potential aside, I think thats important to the Kings orginization right now. So I think they'll either take one of the four players available in MKG, Beal, Robinson, Barnes, or they'll make a trade to either move down and gain another asset, or they'll trade the pick for a veteran player.

If they end up taking Drummond, then they'll have put up one great smoke screen. If they move down, don't be surprised if they draft Lillard. I believe they want to move Tyreke to SG, and Thornton to the bench as the 6th man. I also believe they don't see IT as their PG of the future, and Jimmer as ready. So if thats truely the case, I could see them drafting Lillard, or aquiring another PG through freeagency or a trade. I don't know enough about Lillard to start singing his praises, but I do know he can shoot the ball, and get to the basket. His coach says he's very unselfish, a leader, a gym rat and relentless worker. First one to practice and last one to leave. Of course his coach is also biased, but his opinion is worth something.

If somehow Beal falls to us, which I doubt since the Cav's and the Wizards seem taken with him, I can almost assure you that the Kings will pick him. He's going to be a very good basketball player, and a better one than Thornton. So Thornton would probably be gone, and none of our other problems would have been solved, unless if by a Thornton trade.

 

[bajaden]

those arguments are always the ones that have weighed strongest in my mind FOR Drummond. If he had failed as the same player, then he failed. But he wasn't he same player. And that speaks to an external change. In this case possibly being misued/unused in the UConn system. In any case, you don't just forget how to pass anymore than you forget how to dribble. When you abruptly just stop doing it after changing teams/systems, that's highly suspicious.

I'm willing to buy into the misused premise to some degree. I'd have been happier if I saw better effort out of Drummond despite possibly not being happy with how he was being used. So its possible that being used as a PF and being allowed to face the basket more, might translate into a more improved Drummond. Maybe! I really hate to be so negative about an 18 year old kid, but in the past I've let my heart and desire override what my eyes told me, and I got burned almost every time.

Like Cousins and Whiteside, he's immature. But with both Cuz and Whiteside, I never for a moment questioned their desire, I only questioned their immature approach to improving. Both now seem to be on the right track, and I have very high hopes for Whiteside, who needs to stay healthy for while. I know for a fact that he's working his butt off right now. If he can improve his BBIQ, he could become revelant. And if the Kings orginization thinks so as well, they might not even look in Drummonds direction. Don't know, just speculating...

 

[Glenn]

I can understand why people are high on Drummond because of what should be very useable athleticism. He just doesn't use it. Brick has wishful thinking I believe but it's understandable as it is almost impossible to believe that this guy may not be a good basketball player. It's just that we have been discussing him dispassionately for about a month and all the major question marks have been there for all to see. Perhaps people aren't believing Bajaden and those of us who have been paying close attention to Drummond. I don't mean to pick on anybody on this issue.

Admittedly I have swung back and forth on the wisdom of drafting him but the risk is SOOO high and I have to believe that Petrie has been on the phione chatting with everybody who knows him. It's what a GM should do. Petrie obviousluy (to me) has been looking at big tall guys and sees that as a priority for the Kings but I would be shocked and perhaps a tad angry if Drummond was picked given that the options, whoever yhey might be including a trade, are very close to being a sure thing especially the trade.

I'll repeat that I understand very much why people can't believe that Drummond won't be a superstar eventually. It's just that he hasn't shown anything since high school and if you watched the Kings' workout video and on-the-court interview after the workout, the guy was gassed. I was very disappointed because I expected more from him. And then there's that free throw shooting ...... Free throws are free and basketball players who can't hit 70% are common but are wasting the "free" part of thr free throw. I swear he throws it and hopes it will at least hit the backboard. Somehow his wiring has come unhooked. There are very sophisticated psychological tests that test the brain's physical functioning and I would have him go through the battery of tests before drafting him. Unfortunately very few psychologists can perform them and they take at least a day to perform.

It's too bad psychiatry and psychology seem so sissified to these big macho men but something is wrong and it's not his body. Whatever it is may deny this young man and his potential fans an amazing show to watch on the court. For those interested, these tests measure the physical functioning of the brain and can decipher where the problem or problems are. Obviously there are other questions to ask first like "did your college coach misuse you" but analysis does not need to end there.

That was too much wasn't it?

 

[KingsCitizen]

I have a weird feeling that we're gonna take Drummond at 5 because:

1.) Draftboards have been saying that Portland will draft him after us because he's a good pair with Aldridge who can take away pressure from him and let him develop. Well these people forgot that we have our own big boy DMC, who will take a lot of pressure from Drummond. And we have Clifford Ray that obviously have done a nice job on Whiteside and JT.
2.) Even if MKG is available(I do believe he will fall due to his offensive limitation), I think we will still draft Drummond because several of our roster (leadership aside) already have MKG like resumes( that's someone who is an above average defender but without perimeter skills)- see Evans, Salmons, or T-Will if we sign him. And not to mention if we really need an MKG guy, G-Wallace is available at the market. He could be one of Free Agents we could have a higher chance to convince going back to where he started his career.
3.) Even if Robinson is available(IMO only the Bobcats have an option to pick, so the Bobcats get's someone else he'll definitely fall below the top 4). Drummond is still the bigger man between the 2, which as basketball gurus would say, "you can't teach height". And people should stop putting the Thabeet lines after this because Thabeet is nowhere near Drummond's mobility and flexibility.
4.) DeAndre Jordan is earning 10M and Kwame Brown got 7M. These are the types of player that people are scared that Drummond will become. But if Drummond ever becomes a Kwame Brown, he won't have small hands which has really killed Kwame's potential, aside from his brain of course.
5.) He's the only player that worked out with us worth the 5th pick. Case closed. No to drama queens.

 

[Gilles]

Another example to ponder:
here enters Andrew Bynum who was 10 months younger than Drummond when drafted, played whopping 7.3 mpg to get 1.6ppg(FG%.402, FT%.296 - Hey! He shoots FTs better than Drummond), 1.7rpg(0.7off+1.0def - even Drummond gets more def.rebounds)+0.5bl+1.22PF.

 

[Gilles]

I'm guessing it's statistics from Synergy and it's a low sample but Drummond finished 27-33 in transition, UConn didn't run a lot of P&R but he got to finish it 9 times out of 15 opportunities and 8 ended with a made bucket. It's to answer questions about his total uselessness unti l3-4 years into his career.

 

[beb0p]

People often brings up Kwame Brown when talking about Drummond. But here's the thing: if Kwame was drafted #5 instead of #1, and if he can block 2+ shots a game; you know what, he would be labeled a pretty solid pick (certainly better than Eddie Griffin, Sagana Diop, Rodney White, Kedrick Brown, and Vladimir Radmanovic; all went in the lottery). And I'd argue that a 10pts, 9rebs, 2 blocks center is more valuable than Battier, Troy Murphy, and maybe even Ricahard Jefferson; three solid guys who went in the lottery that same year. In fact, if Kwame can swat shots and defend the middle, I'd want him next to Cousins.

The point is: there's no shame picking double/double (or near double/double) center with 2+ blocks guy with the #5, even if said guy is only ever a solid role player. That's a reason that DeAndre Jordan, Erick Dampier, Kendrick Perkins, heck even Brendan Haywood got paid a ton of money at some point in their career. What makes Drummond so intriguing is that he blows all of the above guys out of the water physically. You'll have to go back to Dwight Howard/Greg Oden to find someone comparable... physically. He is a freak of nature among freaks of nature. A 280 pound guy who runs and jumps like a guard.

The first time I saw Drummond on TV he was defending the PnR and he got caught in a switch and chased the point guard back to the mid count line, then in a spit second he recovered back to his man in the post. He is not just fast, he is just as fast a the guards and he is fast going north/south and east/west. To me, the literal quickness is even rarer than the athleticism - he is quick enough to defend the four, strong even to defend the five, and he can guard bigs who try to take him to the perimeter. If he get caught in a switch he can keep up with the guards and if the guard somehow get around him, Drummond can still recover to bother the shots. Who the hell in the NBA can do that? Maybe Dwight? Maybe KG?

The scary thing is: Drummond is probably not done filling out his body. Think about that for a second. What will he look like when he's 25?

Now I admit there are lots of things not to like about Drummond. His motor, his desire, his work ethic. All fair question. But to me, I don't think anyone can say definitively one way or another if he really lacks motor or was he just lost. I did see him box out for rebounds, I did see him hustle, defend, and played with fire. It's the consistency that'st the problem. I read an article that says he has poor court awareness - he sees things that happen in front of him and oblivious to things next to and behind him. Thus, if he sees his man he'll gladly boxes out but guys that runs in behind him can catch him flat footed. I honestly don't think Drummond has a motor issue, I think he has an IQ/awareness issue. With that said, some bigs never get over the lack of awareness; but some do. It's why I can never write off Drummond.

 

[bajaden]

This is the last thing I'm going to say about Drummond. A lot of how he's percieved is about expectations. His expectations were about as high as you can get. I can say the same thing about Harrison Barnes. If Barnes hadn't come out of highschool with such fanfare, and being ranked as the number one highschool player in the nation, I think there would far fewer people dissapointed in him. So the same is probably true with Drummond. By no means am I endorsing our drafting him. But I acknowledge that there's certainly room for error when it comes to Drummond. Either way! Of course, thats whats so scarey about him.

Personally, I would pass on him, while at the same time admiting, he could end up being a star in the league. He had his star moments last season, but he also had his, what the hell were you thinking moments as well. My greatest fear if we draft him, is that after he signs on the dotted line, he'll show up for training camp weighing 330 pounds. An exaggeration perhaps, but I'll never forget Walt Williams showing up for summer league his sophmore year about 40 pounds overweight.

Just the opinion of an old guy in baja...

 

[Uncia03]

Admittedly I have swung back and forth on the wisdom of drafting him but the risk is SOOO high and I have to believe that Petrie has been on the phione chatting with everybody who knows him. It's what a GM should do. Petrie obviousluy (to me) has been looking at big tall guys and sees that as a priority for the Kings but I would be shocked and perhaps a tad angry if Drummond was picked given that the options, whoever yhey might be including a trade, are very close to being a sure thing especially the trade.

I just want to point that that even though I'm not a fan of Drummond due solely to the risk factor, if Petrie does end up taking him with the 5th pick then I'm not going to be remotely angry.

Drummond's physical gifts probably give him, along with PJIII, the absolute highest upside of anyone in this draft. If Petrie believes in him enough to take him with the 5th pick, then I'll hop on board and pray that Drummond proves everyone wrong, brings his hard hat, and comes to work to create a front-court monster pairing with Cousins.

 

[Glenn]

I just want to point that that even though I'm not a fan of Drummond due solely to the risk factor, if Petrie does end up taking him with the 5th pick then I'm not going to be remotely angry.

Drummond's physical gifts probably give him, along with PJIII, the absolute highest upside of anyone in this draft. If Petrie believes in him enough to take him with the 5th pick, then I'll hop on board and pray that Drummond proves everyone wrong, brings his hard hat, and comes to work to create a front-court monster pairing with Cousins.

He'll have to buy a hard hat first.

 

[Telemachus]

This is the last thing I'm going to say about Drummond. A lot of how he's percieved is about expectations. His expectations were about as high as you can get. I can say the same thing about Harrison Barnes. If Barnes hadn't come out of highschool with such fanfare, and being ranked as the number one highschool player in the nation, I think there would far fewer people dissapointed in him. So the same is probably true with Drummond. By no means am I endorsing our drafting him. But I acknowledge that there's certainly room for error when it comes to Drummond. Either way! Of course, thats whats so scarey about him.

I would point out that if Drummond and Barnes hadn't entered college with such fanfare, I don't think anyone would be talking about them going in the top 10 picks of this draft. They are both getting a lot of credit for what they did in HS, and what they hope they can become.

 

[Prince_XY]

I can understand why people are high on Drummond because of what should be very useable athleticism. He just doesn't use it. Brick has wishful thinking I believe but it's understandable as it is almost impossible to believe that this guy may not be a good basketball player. It's just that we have been discussing him dispassionately for about a month and all the major question marks have been there for all to see. Perhaps people aren't believing Bajaden and those of us who have been paying close attention to Drummond. I don't mean to pick on anybody on this issue.

Admittedly I have swung back and forth on the wisdom of drafting him but the risk is SOOO high and I have to believe that Petrie has been on the phione chatting with everybody who knows him. It's what a GM should do. Petrie obviousluy (to me) has been looking at big tall guys and sees that as a priority for the Kings but I would be shocked and perhaps a tad angry if Drummond was picked given that the options, whoever yhey might be including a trade, are very close to being a sure thing especially the trade.

I'll repeat that I understand very much why people can't believe that Drummond won't be a superstar eventually. It's just that he hasn't shown anything since high school and if you watched the Kings' workout video and on-the-court interview after the workout, the guy was gassed. I was very disappointed because I expected more from him. And then there's that free throw shooting ...... Free throws are free and basketball players who can't hit 70% are common but are wasting the "free" part of thr free throw. I swear he throws it and hopes it will at least hit the backboard. Somehow his wiring has come unhooked. There are very sophisticated psychological tests that test the brain's physical functioning and I would have him go through the battery of tests before drafting him. Unfortunately very few psychologists can perform them and they take at least a day to perform.

It's too bad psychiatry and psychology seem so sissified to these big macho men but something is wrong and it's not his body. Whatever it is may deny this young man and his potential fans an amazing show to watch on the court. For those interested, these tests measure the physical functioning of the brain and can decipher where the problem or problems are. Obviously there are other questions to ask first like "did your college coach misuse you" but analysis does not need to end there.

That was too much wasn't it?

Are you implying that something really serious happened to Drummond in his transition from high school to College?

Is it possible to just suddenly forget all your basketball skills in a year?

I think we are mistaken if we are drafting Drummond based on his performance in College alone. How many College games did he play?

Is he a finished product at 18?

Are KG, Dwight Howard, and Bynum finished products when they were drafted in the NBA?

Of course not.

Why?

Because they were only teenagers too!

18 years old, 6' 11'", 278 lbs, very mobile(especially laterally), and with good basketball skills in basketball. He can block shots, dunk the ball with authority if he wants to, rebound, dribble the ball, and shown some flashes of being a good passer. Those qualities are rare. The only thing that will hinder this kid from being better than Dwight Howard is if he gets injured (like Oden) or if we mess-up his development just like what is happening now to Evans.

 

[Gary]

18 years old, 6' 11'", 278 lbs, very mobile(especially laterally), and with good basketball skills in basketball. He can block shots, dunk the ball with authority if he wants to, rebound, dribble the ball, and shown some flashes of being a good passer. Those qualities are rare. The only thing that will hinder this kid from being better than Dwight Howard is if he gets injured (like Oden) or if we mess-up his development just like what is happening now to Evans.

He's a crappy rebounder, and he shouldn't be dribbling the ball. His "skills" in basketball are mostly on the defensive side sans rebounding (which he just flat out sucks at). Like I said earlier, if we wanted a defensive specialist (which Drummond isn't) then we should take a different player.