DETROIT _ Many around the NBA consider the traditional back-to-the-basket center a relic of a bygone era, with only a couple remaining as a reminder of the classic times of Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal.
Andre Drummond doesn't want to be the last of a dying breed.
The key to avoiding extinction is to evolve _ and on the offensive end, Drummond has worked to diversify his game beyond the plays inside the paint that have been his career highlights: pick-and-roll plays, lob dunks and putbacks on offensive rebounds.
Drummond also has become a better defender and early in the season, he has been the Pistons' best player on both ends of the court while Blake Griffin recovers from knee and hamstring issues. Drummond, who turned 26 in August, is posting scintillating numbers: 21.9 points, 18.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.2 blocks _ all career bests.
Some of it is out of sheer necessity because the Pistons are missing their two best offensive options in Griffin and Derrick Rose as well as Drummond's main pick-and-roll partner in Reggie Jackson.
It's more than just numbers. In what could be his final season with the Pistons, Drummond is looking to cement himself as one of the premier centers in the league. He had three straight games of at least 20 points and 20 rebounds and some highlight-reel plays that opened eyes to the biggest addition to his game _ facing the basket and driving to the rim, which coach Dwane Casey has encouraged.
"(Casey) has seen me do it in spurts throughout my career and he said he would like to implement the face-up game into my game because I'm a lot faster than a lot of the bigs," Drummond said. "That's what I really worked on this summer _ just learning my spots, learning the gaps, when to attack and get myself in a good position to score or find my open teammate out on the wing.
"That's one of the biggest things that's been drilled in me since Casey got here, was to work on that part of my game."
Throughout his career, Drummond has been mentioned in the same breath with some of the more versatile and renowned big men such as Joel Embiid, Rudy Gobert and Nikola Jokic, who have all gotten bigger acclaim.
Kevin Durant acknowledged Drummond's excellence on the The Players' Tribune's "Knuckleheads" podcast with former NBA stars Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles last month when asked about some of his favorite under-the-radar players.
"I like Andre Drummond when he's on the boards _ he's dominant. He's got a skill for that; he's special," Durant said. "I think he can (average 20 rebounds) a game if he puts his mind to it. That's tough to say because they're playing such a spread game over there in Detroit.
"He's special on the boards. Playing against him, you don't realize how strong he is _ he's one of the strongest in the game."
