2012 NBA Draft: Breaking Down UConn Huskies Prospect Andre Drummond

Andre Drummond is the biggest enigma in the 2012 NBA draft.  Everyone wants to know: is he the next Dwight Howard, or Kwame Brown?

Here is everything you need to know about Drummond; his intangibles, offensive skills, defensive skills and projected NBA role to decide what you think his basketball future will look like after draft day.  

Athleticism and Tools

If Andre Drummond were judged on tools alone, he would easily be the top pick of the 2012 NBA draft.  He has the size, athleticism and pure tools to be the most dominant center in basketball.

The first thing you notice when looking at Drummond is how strong and solid he looks on the court.  He is 6'11" and 270 pounds; all of it muscle and power.  Still a teenager, Drummond already has an NBA body and can bang with anyone in the post.

But his tools don't stop there.  Drummond can run the floor extremely well for a guy his size, allowing him to play in an up-tempo offense.  

He also has tremendous leaping ability, which will allow him to elevate over NBA defenders to both make baskets and grab most available rebounds.  That, combined with his huge wingspan, means that he can develop into the most dominant two-way post player in basketball.

If he puts the work in...

Intangibles

If Drummond makes your jaw drop with his size and pure physical tools, he also makes it clench in exasperation with his inability to always play all out and to maximize his own limitless potential.

Drummond has all the tools to be great but he seems to coast by at times, unable or unwilling to assert his physical dominance.

A player with his size, strength and leaping ability should dominate the paint at the collegiate level.  Even without smooth offensive moves or polished skills, Drummond should have averaged a double-double at UConn.  But he averaged barely 10 points and seven rebounds and often made it look like a struggle to get to those numbers.  

Drummond also never displayed that intangible killer instinct that is so visible in players like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist; he often matched up against physically inferior opponents who simply outhustled and outplayed him in the paint.  

The team that takes him needs to be aware that Drummond is still a teenager.  He lacks pro-level intangibles and is as emotionally immature as he is physically ready for the NBA.  That team will need to let him get comfortable and work his way toward dominance.  

Scoring and Shooting

Drummond has all the tools to be a dominant NBA 5 but he lacks the skills to execute well on the court right now.

Currently, Drummond has no polished offensive game.  Part of that is he only spent a year in college—part of it seems to be a general reluctance to spend the extra time in the gym to develop offensive moves that maximize his own abilities.  

He also can't shoot anything outside the painted area and shot a horrifying 29 percent from the charity stripe. The form and tools are there for him to become a decent mid-range shooter but he still needs to learn the skill and put the practice time in between games.

So, Drummond would benefit from going to a team that has an intelligent, polished center, who will help him develop a real offensive game.   

Defense and Rebounding

Drummond struggled defensively in college but he has the tools and athleticism to be the best defensive center in basketball.

Right now, he struggles because he does not box out well, has little concept of where opposing players are going to move on the court and doesn't have any defensive instincts.  But he has the size to close down the paint and the leaping ability to secure most defensive rebounds in his area.

The team that drafts him should let a defense-first coach or assistant coach work with him to develop these defensive skills and awareness.  Perhaps doing what Orlando did with Howard and hiring an assistant like Patrick Ewing (perhaps even Ewing himself) will do the trick.  

Ball-Handling and Passing

Right now, Drummond does not have a ball-handling or passing game.  It will probably never be a great strength for him.  But, like Shaquille O'Neal, he could develop some deft paint passes in his first few professional years that will drastically expand his offensive arsenal.  

Team Fits and NBA Player Comparison

Today, Drummond looks like Dwight Howard.  He plays like Andrew Bynum did in high school; raw but full of potential.  Hopefully, he has Bynum's willingness to work on his game, but the specter of Kwame Brown looms whenever one evaluates Drummond. 

He really needs to go to a rising organization that has the coaching chops to really teach him how to play the game.  Perhaps a team like Houston, which so desperately needs a low-post presence, will trade up to get him.