TPE Targets—BONUS Part 5, The Devastating Skill of Andre Drummond

Wow. It takes only the briefest of moments for the energy around a team to change. One quick pendulum swing in the other direction… And any sort of expectation built can come crashing down.

Such is the case with the Memphis Grizzlies.

After years of all of the starters not sharing the court, it seemed like we were due for it. Due for the starters to finally have a full and meaningful season together. Funny (or not) how things work out, isn’t it?

The Grizzlies weren’t even able to make it out of preseason to the regular season. Not before getting derailed. Which happened in quite a hurry.

On Sunday, Memphis announced their starting center—Steven Adams—would miss the season. That’s this upcoming season. In its entirety.

An injury sustained in January after diving for a loose ball… The Grizzlies expected to keep him sidelined for three to five weeks at first… Then they decided to keep him out for the entire season… After “non-operative rehabilitation did not resolve ongoing knee instability,”…

Listen, this piece is not for questioning the handling of the Adams injury. It confuses me, and I’d rather not think about it too much. It’s not as if it’s the only bad news, either.

Two days later, the team announced Santi Aldama would miss the season opener with an ankle injury sustained in practice. After the surge Aldama was showing preseason, this is the last thing you want to hear.

That means the frontcourt rotation behind Jaren Jackson Jr. is hurting, to say the least. Memphis has Xavier Tillman Sr. and Kenneth Lofton Jr. behind Trip. That’s it.

I’ve been clamoring for this team to add a true big to the roster in case of emergency for a hot minute now. That plea was for situations exactly like this. The injury bug can bite in a hurry, and it can bite more than once. Such is its nature.

And so the Grizzlies find themselves in desperate need of depth in their frontcourt. I’ll go one further: they’re in desperate need of depth in their frontcourt that prioritizes rebounding above all else.

Memphis has Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, JJJ, Luke Kennard, and Ziaire Williams on the roster. The last thing they need is another ‘offensive first’ player in the pecking order. Now, with the A’s (Adams and Aldama) out, this squad needs rebounding… and it needs it bad.

Otherwise, we may be privy to more meaningful John Konchar minutes. After a preseason that saw nary a hair after the first game, Konchar minutes aren’t on my wish list. No offense, ‘Jitty.’

The Grizzlies need a rebound first player and one who can gel with the guys on short notice. There’s one player they need to pursue. When you consider his price and his skill? He leaves no doubt.

I’m speaking, of course, of—the Big Penguin himself—Andre Drummond.

The Projected Playoff Rotation

So why ‘Big Penguin’?

Look if we’re asking why he’s called ‘Big Penguin,’ I have zero clue. I just know that I love penguins. I know they look like they’re birds in little tuxes. I know they made two Happy Feet movies. And I know they may or may not be Drummond’s favorite animal. I guess it depends on what day it is.

But if we’re asking why the center would be worth adding? The answer to that question seems so obvious it’s painful. I’m speaking of capital ‘R’, Rebounding, and the big man brings that to the table in spades.

That feels like I’m underselling him in a small way. Let’s rephrase… There may not be a more complete rebounder league-wide than Andre Drummond. I’m talking over an 11-year career—during that span—I’d argue he epitomized the act.

In fact, in nine of his eleven seasons playing, his rebounds per game average exceeded nine boards. That’s over nine rebounds a game in more than 80% of his career. Combined with leading the league in rebounds for four seasons? That’s incredible.

Drummond is no one trick pony, though. The defense exhibited in the paint by the big man must tantalize Taylor Jenkins. Pairing him with Trip? There won’t be a damn thing getting through that way.

Since entering the NBA, his BLK% has stayed in the league’s 75th percentile or higher in seven of his eleven seasons. On top of that, his STL% was in the league’s 84th percentile in ten of his eleven seasons.

That’s consistent excellence at making sure opponents don’t score baskets. Drummond’s damn good at it. Those numbers are per Cleaning the Glass… As are the following.

This is where we get to the real bread and butter of Andre’s game: his rebounding. You thought those previous numbers were excellent? Check out his rebounding stats since coming into the league in 2012.

His fgOR%? It’s stayed in the league’s 89th percentile or higher. His fgDR%? In the league’s 90th percentile or higher. And his ftDR% since his rookie year? It’s been in the league’s 92nd percentile or higher.

Those numbers are—to be frank—astounding. They’re also not to say that Drummond can only rebound or play defense. He’s not an offensive savant with a basketball, but he’s no slouch, either.

He’s a career 54.8% two-point shooter while shooting the ball at a rate of over 60% the past two seasons… 61.3%, with both Brooklyn and Chicago, to be exact. Those numbers are good enough to rank in the top three on Memphis’ roster. Like I said… No slouch.

Now, does any of this fix the Grizzlies’ problem in the frontcourt? Well, it definitely does in the short term. Is Drummond the answer in the frontcourt rotation long term? Most likely not.

He’s about to start his 12th—and possibly last—NBA season. When your game revolves around what you can do in the paint… One must wonder how much more he can take, especially when considering the bruisers that he goes up against night in and night out.

Like I said, he’s not a long-term solution. For this team in the short term, though? There’s no player out there that provides what this Memphis team needs this fast. And on his contract? Remember, the Bulls have him signed to a 2-year, $6,560,000 contract.

A player with this level of skill on that cheap of a deal? Who has also dealt with integrating into new rosters before? I’m telling you. The Band-Aid the Grizzlies need may as well have big penguins on it. Andre Drummond isn’t a permanent fix… But he sure as hell can stop the bleeding.

Photo credit: (Michael Reaves/Getty Images) Missed the TPE series? Enjoy parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 to get caught up.