Updated 4:15 pm.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vejgrPKKcdM&w=560&h=315]
Andre Drummond is one of two high-risk, high-reward lottery prospects in this year’s NBA Draft. He could yield tremendous dividends in the future, but can the Kings’ front office afford to wait? In a workout in Sacramento today, they got their chance to measure whether his tantalizing upside is worth the gamble.
Andre Drummond – Connecticut
Drummond is a physical marvel. He is fast and moves well on the floor for a player that stands 6’11 and weighs 279 lbs. According to Draft Express, his 10.83 time in the lane agility drills at this year’s combine placed him in the top 10 among his fellow prospects. From their database, only Nene, who weighed 253 lbs. when he was drafted in 2002, posted a faster time (10.73 seconds) for a player over 250 lbs.
His jumping ability is worth bragging about, too. Drummond possesses a 34-inch vertical leap, which aids his solid shot blocking instincts. In his lone year at UConn, the 18-year old center averaged 2.7 blocks per contest – good enough for 15th in the nation. He is also a very good rebounder on the offensive glass. Drummond averaged 3.4 offensive boards per contest, which ranked him fifth in the Big East in that category.
UConn Coach Jim Calhoun speaks highly of Drummond’s freakish athletcism, calling his former center an “athletic phenomenon”. However, Calhoun doesn’t mince words when describing Drummond’s weaknesses. From the video breakdown of Draft Express and Valley of the Suns’ Mike Schmitz:
The thing he doesn’t have yet (is) he hasn’t really packaged his game. He needs to develop a 15-foot jump shot, which he doesn’t have right now. He needs to develop a couple go-to moves on the post. His best go-to move now is just he sees an opening (and) he just goes and dunks it. You’re just not getting the guy who’s, right now, ready to step into an NBA game tonight. He’s not going to help (for example)help you score tonight.
If you watched Schmitz’s breakdown, you’ll see that Drummond lacks offensive awareness. Though he towered over most of his collegiate competition, Drummond doesn’t know how to use his deadly combination of athleticism and size to his advantage. And as good as he is on the offensive glass, Drummond is equally weak on the defensive end. The tale of the tape shows that he often gets caught not blocking out his opponents. His rawness and overall lack of fundamentals may have played a part in his inability to dominate the college game. In roughly 28 minutes per contest, he averaged only 10 points and 7.6 rebounds for the Huskies.
Measurements:
- Height: 6′ 9.75″ w/o shoes, 6′ 11.75″ w/shoes
- Weight: 279 lbs., 7.5% body fat
- Wingspan: 7′ 6.25″
- Standing Reach: 9′ 1.5″
Testing:
- Standing Vertical: 31.5″
- Running Vertical: 33.5″
- Bench Press: 10 rep max
- Lane Agility: 10.83 sec.
- 3/4 Court Sprint: 3.39 sec.
Post-workout Notes
- Originally scheduled to be a solo workout, Drummond ended up facing some one-on-one competition. Ball State’s Jerrod Jones, a 6’9, 231 lbs. power forward, worked out with Drummond. The former UConn Husky said this was the first time he played against someone in nearly two months. “It feels kind of good getting back on the court with somebody else and trying to put stuff I learned all throughout the summer into game form.”
- Media got a chance to see Drummond showcase his athletic prowess in a shot-blocking drill. He looked like had no trouble moving across the paint while attempting to block balls thrown up by assistant coaches Jim Eyen and Bobby Jackson.
- Drummond says he’s been working to improve his offense following the conclusion of the college season. He believes his back-to-basket, face-up game and shooting stroke have all seen improvement.
The Kings continue the pre-draft process with workouts tomorrow featuring Terrence Jones of Kentucky, Maalik Wayns of Villanova, Garrett Stutz of Witchita State and Mitchell Watt of Buffalo.
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