Andre Drummond: UConn Star Would Be Wise to Declare for 2012 NBA Draft

Connecticut Huskies freshman center Andre Drummond would be wise to cash in on his coveted size and declare for the 2012 NBA draft this spring. 

The 6'10", 270-pound Middletown, Conn. native averaged 10.2 points per game in 2011-12 with the defending national champion Huskies, and led the team in rebounding and blocks, averaging 7.7 and 2.7 per game respectively. Drummond also led the Huskies in field goal percentage, shooting nearly 54 percent from the field this past season.

Drummond was nowhere to be found during Connecticut's brutal NCAA Tournament opening loss to Iowa State on Thursday however. Drummond played 26 minutes, fouling out with just two points on 1-of-4 shooting, three rebounds and four blocked shots. The Huskies fell, 77-64.

Despite the obvious flaws in his game, including his dismal free throw shooting (29.5 percent) and lack of aggressive play at times, Drummond is still considered to be the top center prospect available this June, slightly ahead of brothers Cody and Tyler Zeller.

Drummond would likely be drafted somewhere just outside of the top five if he were to end his college career at Connecticut and enter his name this year. He would likely be a lock for the top 10, which means he would receive a pretty healthy pay day for an 18-year-old.

His prototypical NBA center size make him impossible to pass up. Any lottery-bound franchise that is not 100 percent confident and invested in their current center will have no choice but to take a look at Drummond, who boasts a seven-plus foot wingspan and nine-plus foot standing reach. 

If Drummond and those in his camp are looking to refine his game and perfect its blemishes, then another season in college under Jim Calhoun would make all the sense in the world, but there are too many what-ifs in that case, and Drummond would be risking his future livelihood. 

With no telling how much improved the Connecticut Huskies will be next season, and considering the high demand for big bodies in the NBA, declaring for the 2012 NBA draft is the best decision Drummond can make this spring.