10 NBA Players Who Took Huge Leaps This Season
Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons
Andre Drummond has had a very interesting career thus far. Despite this being his sixth season in the NBA, the powerful big man is still just 24 years old and has shown that there is still plenty of development to be had.
After a career year in 2016 in which he averaged 16.2 points and 14.8 rebounds, last season (13.6 and 13.8) was a bit of a disappointment. He bounced back in a big way this season though, averaging 15 points and a career-high 16 boards, which easily led the league.
He also made huge strides in improving his free throw stroke, shooting 60.5%. Prior to this season, he had shot above 40% from the charity stripe in just one other season.
When it was all said and done, Drummond wrapped up the year in the top-15 in nERD and was a lone bright spot on an otherwise disappointing season for the Detroit Pistons.
| Andre Drummond | nERD | PPG | RPG | TS% | PER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 3.5 | 13.6 | 13.8 | 51.80% | 20.9 |
| 2018 | 9.6 | 15.0 | 16.0 | 55.50% | 22.9 |
Fun Fact: Drummond was the only player in the league to average at least 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks. DeMarcus Cousins put up a similar line (12.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.6 blocks) but didn't play enough games to qualify.
While the rebounding is what jumps off the page for Drummond, the most impressive part of his game this year was the improvements he made as a passer and free throw shooter. He had at least five dimes in 19 games this season. He had literally never had a game with at least five assists in 385 games prior to this season.
Drummond has made clear efforts to improve the weaknesses in his game, and he could be a reliable mid-range jumper away from being one of the league's most well-rounded players -- a possibility that nobody would have considered realistic a year ago.
