Dennis Rodman and Moses Malone. Two of the best rebounders of all time and two of the greats. To be on any kind of list with them is not just great, but it changes people’s perspective of you. Andre Drummond is no longer seen as a young center with incredible talent and potential, but a star who can rebound like Rodman and Malone.
So how is he rebounding like those two greats? Let me get into it.
Andre Drummond is averaging 5.9 offensive rebounds per game, which is 1st in the league this year. Only Moses Malone, Jayson Williams, Dennis Rodman, Charles Barkley, and Anderson Varejao have ever finished a season averaging over 5.5 offensive boards a game.
Drummond’s rebounding is one of the main reasons for the Pistons’ success. Of course we could talk about Reggie Jackson’s great season and so many others on that team exceeding expectations, but the point is that the Pistons do not score nearly as much without Drummond.
Even though the Detroit Pistons are on track to make the playoffs and currently hold the 7th seed in the East, 3.5 games back of 1st, they rank 23rd in the NBA in Offensive Efficiency and 28th in True Shooting Percentage. So, to be frank, the Pistons are not shooting that well this season yet find themselves with a solid 16-12 record. The reason for this is second chance points.
The Pistons rank 1st in the NBA in 2nd Chance Points with 442 on the season. They are also 2nd in the league in offensive rebound rate. Because of Drummond’s ability to get on the boards on both ends, more opportunities are being presented for their shooters giving them a greater chance to score each possession.
Andre Drummond’s rebounding is directly affecting each possession for the Pistons because the defense has to play them differently. You can’t allow Drummond to slip to the rim or get any position in the post otherwise Detroit will be getting the ball back.
That’s what Dennis Rodman and Moses Malone did for their teams back in the day and that’s what Andre Drummond is doing today for the Pistons.
