Andre Drummond set to declare for NBA Draft

 I’ve never been that high on Drummond as a future All-Star caliber center of the future, but I do think he’ll be a solid, starting caliber defensive anchor in 2 or 3 years.  He has a lot of work to do on his game, but this decision makes sense to me.  With Calhoun’s absense this season, and some questions about him going forward, plus the risk of a stock plummit if he doesn’t play up to expectations, this is probably the best move for Drummond.

I think 6 is his floor.

No matter what team I am, I take him at No. 2. Bigs are just more rare of a commodity than perimeter players. Combine his athleticism with his size and talent, and the potential is frightening. He might need a kick in the pants, but he has the ability to be a Moses Malone type, if he wants it badly enough.  

 as he should… he will go top 3.. Davis, Barnes then him…. But i have a funny feelings a GM will fall in love with this kid because they will copare him to Davis because he is bigger, but hes top 3 or 4

Drummond is a freak athletically and physically. I have Drummond going 3rd to the Hornets in my mock draft. I agree with you though, I could see Drummond going #2 in this draft. A lot of it depends on how the lottery plays out and which team is picking though. 

Barnes a lock at two, I don’t agree with. 

I think the only way Barnes goes #2 is if the pick goes to Charlotte and MJ sees a young MJ and wants a UNC connection.  I just think MKG and Thomas Robinson have established themselves as better prosepects unless they both measure short at the combine, I don’t think Barnes will go ahead of either one unless Robinson is 6’7” and MKG is 6’5”.

 He’s not falling out of the top 5 but wherever he lands it would be better for him to play behind somebody his first year and slowly develop. Rather than throwing him into the fire his rookie year.

i agree, i have him at 4 going to the cavs. and if he slips, i would want him at 5 going to the blazers. in the end, i think we should see first where people will pick. i mean, if you were toronto, would you rather draft him, MKG or Barnes?

 I think Drummond will remind to many scouts of a young (well earliar version) of Andrew Bynum. Someone will take that gamble, and hope that he can morph into that kind of player. I wouldn’t mind seeing him go to the Blazers, but they probably don’t want to wait around that long while LA and Batum are still on the roster. 

 I would definitely take the gamble and pick Drummond #2. He is an athletic monster at the most difficult spot to build around, the C position. He’s not as aggressive as you’d like at times, and he floats with a iffy feel for the game, but he has more upside than any player in the draft no question IMO. He has a ways to go before he can fulfill that, and it will take time, but he can be a big-time player with proper work. I’d take him #2 as well no matter what team I am, as someone else posted.

Top 5.  I would think that after AD the picks will be MKG and Thomas Robinson.  The next two off the board will be Andre Drummond and Harrison Barnes in some order.  Perry Jones would be another likely top 5 guy depending on how well he does in draft camps.  That will be your top 6 in some order.  After that it drops off a bit with Beal, Rivers, Lamb, and Sullinger being in that next tier of players. 

You have to think that with Andre Drummond if he can put it together a bit next year he could be a top 5 center in the league AS A ROOKIE.  After Howard there is somewhat of a dropoff to Bynum, then a BIG drop off to Marc Gasol.  After that you have average centers such as DeAndre Jordan and Roy Hibbert and Tyson Chandler.  Andre Drummond can move up the center ranks fairly easily.  

Drummond might have a lower ceiling than Perry Jones or even MKG or Anthony Davis, his floor is probably higher, as in he should be a servicable center for a decade.  A guy who can put up solid numbers, get some blocks and hold his own on defense against guys like Howard, Bynum, and Gasol.  He might not be as flashy a shot blocker as Anthony Davis but Andre could very well be a better position defender against bigs. 

And, unlike Davis, MKG, and Perry Jones, Andre Drummond has a definite position on the next level. 

Everyone needs to stop over analyizing this draft before any workouts have been done yet. Barnes isn’t a lock a 2, Drummond surely isn’t a top 3 lock, its all wide open still after Davis. If you are going to say "you like this guy" or think someones a future star, fine, but stock projecting the draft like its etched in stone. Drummond could drop to 6 or 7. He could. Its not impossible.

In order, I like Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd Gilchrist and Thomas Robinson cuz they produce. Could Drummond land in the top 3? Sure he could. And that not even with possible size shrinkage of MKG or TRob.

I like fire inm y players and he really doesnt show that. I like Tim Duncan too but at least he produces though. You need fire or production for me and outside of the Syracuse games, he tends to want to fit in where Oden and Anthiny Davis just dominated defensively. The high ceiling of Bynum is probably right but he is probably more DeAndre Jordan.

Isnt he younger then his class though? If so, that could be the cause of his fit in attitude and probably defered to Lamb, but to me the ballers always want to ball. Drummond will probably cost a GM his job if he fails

like i said before in another thread, drafting a player is about asking yourself two questions. 1) How good could this player be. and 2) How good would this player be.

i think most of us here understand how amazing of a prospect Drummond is with his physique and athletic abilities for a center. add in his age, and the possibilities are so high. however, has he shown enough charachter and hunger to get better and dominate to give you a strong vote of confidence that he’ll reach what our minds are imagining for this kid in the future. i think thats what scouts will have to be aware of when they stake their names on the line for this guy in such a deep draft up top.

in my mock draft 

 He is number 2 in my mock but it still depends on who is picking. I still think there is an outside shot he goes number 1 after workouts and measurements. Not saying I would do it or that it’s likely but if he works his butt off and has great workouts, who knows. Still, I’m 99% sure Davis will be 1 but after that I don’t see why it wouldn’t be Srummond. 

He Will never be a Moses Malone type. That’s just crazy talk. Those types don’t just become that at 19, they are beasts from early on in H.S. once again that word potential is thrown out and that’s a dangerous word. That can get a GM fired if they take him top 3. I wouldn’t take him anywhere in the top 3-5. Low motors just don’t change, it’s been proven over and over again but of course some fans and scouts still say ” but he can run and jump and he is big”. If he ever pans out to be better than average, whoever drafts him at 2 won’t see it because it will take awhile for this kid because of how raw he is on top of the motor.

Don’t be surprised to see him playing a good amount of games in the D-league during his rookie year (with Perry Jones). That’s not always a bad thing though

I’ve got him going top 4.  I think the best decision for him is to come out this year.  One reason is because he should be guaranteed a top 5 selection.  He can’t really improve his draft status by returning.  Another reason is because he didn’t really seem to improve while at UConn.  NBA coaching, for the most part, is better than college coaching.  He will be able to work on a lot of things from the best teachers, and he will also get a chance to practice against NBA players.  I think that will be really important for his growth as a player.

The one thing he definitely needs to improve is his overall work ethic and tenacity on the court.  He never really seemed to demand the ball this year.  Rarely did he fight for position down low.  His motor has to get better for him to succeed in the NBA.  If he just floats around on the court like he did in college he will be a bust. 

I really hope he succeeds.  It’s not very often that a player with his size and athleticism come along.  He has a chance to be special, but it’s not going to come easy.  He is going to have to put in a lot of work to become the player everyone thought he would be.

On a team that played slow, Drummond averaged 10.6 points, 8.3 rebounds (3.6 offensive), and 2.6 blocks in the Big East. The recent history of freshmen in the Big East, especially big men, is lowsy unless you factor in guys on teams at the complete bottom on the league who get minutes and numbers while losing by 20. This idea that he didn’t produce is wrong. If you don’t factor in the nonsense that he was the second coming of fill in the blank All-Star or Hall-of-Famer, people wouldn’t be dismissive of his production.

Let me ask something real quick. I’m a big Uconn fan, ive watched Drummond play all year, and he has the potential to be an absolute star in the NBA. My question is, why does this mock draft have Drummond going to Sacramento? I’m also a Kings fan, and we have one of the best centers in the NBA on our team already, in Demarcus Cousins. Why do they need another center? Why not have them draft Barnes or Beal? Just a question, As for Drummond, He is a beast, future star. He just needs to develop and mature.

" Low motors just don’t change, it’s been proven over and over again"

DeAndre Jordan was a low motor guy his whole life and now he’s a high motor guy, and he’s probably the most recent guy with that major flaw I can think of. Albeit that’s only one example.

DeAndre to me is a high motor guy from games to games basis. he’s still not as consistent as lets say a Varejao or Noah. I’d still want to see DeAndree put as much effort and consistency at rebounding the ball as he does going for blocks. If he did and with his physical attributes, i dont see why this guy cant be boarding 10 a night through out the season.

as for the sacramento scenario, although i dont have drummond going to sac in my mock, i understand why some people would. the guy is athletic and fast for his size, and its not unthinkable to see him playing powerforward in the NBA, especially if he gets more fit and trims down his body fat. if he could make that transition and lives up to his defensive potential, him and Cousins in the post would be very intimidating.

I think BTPH is 100% correct about Drummond’s production, people are giving him a very hard time about averaging double digits on a team which did a very poor job getting its big guys involved, bearing in mind it wasn’t just Drummond, but Oriakhi too who were struggling this season.

I still think he’ll surpass Anthony Davis by the time their rookie deals expire.

@benny15; I didn’t think conditioning was a problem for Drummond, he’s already quick enough to play PF in the NBA, it’s more a matter of whether his skillset allows it at this point.

I understand where your coming from with the Drummond to Sacramento arguement. I’m just saying, i think the Kings could use a totally route in this draft. They need a SG, SF, or PF before they need anything else. Drummond could go down to PF i guess…it would take a lot of work though.

i actuallt think cousins could play pf with drummond at the 5

You think so? I mean its not impossible. I would just rather have Cousins matched up against someone like Joel Prysbilla, not Lamarcus Aldridge, ya know?

 You don’t take huge projects like Drummond in the top 5. He has the highest ceiling in the draft, but also the most bust potential. He has very low BBIQ, and no offensive skills. He could end up being a guy that gets a GM fired in a few years.

 Motor isn’t exactly set in stone.  Sure, more players seem to have their effort decrease as they get older and establish themselves in the league, but many times players trying to prove themselves or newly on a good team play harder than they have in the past.  As a Celtics fan, I can tell you that after the trades for Garnett and Allen, Paul Pierce’s motor improved.  He played harder on both ends of the floor.  

Drummond had a solid, if unspectacular season, for a mediocre UConn team and has plenty of room to grow.  I am not sure I would take him #2 unless my team had a big need at center, but it isn’t like he is DeAndre Jordan as a prospect.  He did produce some at UConn, like BTPH said earlier.