Andre Drummond doesn’t have the time to defend a Valanciunas three
Andre Drummond of the Detroit Pistons really couldn’t care less when it comes to guarding Jonas Valanciunas out in three point territory. Detroit’s defensive stopper wisely conserved his energy and turned his back on Toronto’s starting center as he took his sweet time to jack up a brick from outside the arch.
The Raptors manhandled the Pistons 116-94 in a less than thrilling blowout. Despite embarrassing himself on an ill-advised long distance attempt, Valanciunas led the way for his squad with an 18 point, 11 rebound double double.
While Drummond also notched a double double on 14 points and 11 rebounds, Valanciunas clearly won the battle of the big men. He more than matched Drummond’s production and it only took him 21 of the nearly 40 minutes Drummond played Tuesday night.
It’s games like these that remind coaches and general managers everywhere that the NBA is a shooters league now. Despite going 9th and 5th in their respective drafts, Drummond and Valanciunas have seen their games progress but their value plummet each year.
Although the previous statement seems contradictory, in the pace and space NBA of today, there just isn’t room for bigs who can’t stretch the floor. Unless either one of these once treasured centers develops a shooting touch or any semblance of adequate passing skills, their coaches will be forced to taper their minutes for smaller, more efficient lineups.
