Should the Boston Celtics join Andre Drummond sweepstakes?

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Cleveland Cavaliers are planning to sit Andre Drummond on the bench until a trade partner is found. This is most likely a contract dump because they have recently acquired 22-year-old Jarrett Allen who is making 20 million less per year. That should perk up the ears of Boston Celtics fans everywhere.

A potential Drummond deal would make a ton of sense considering Allen has given them similar output at a fraction of the price, averaging 13 points and eight rebounds per game, on 15% better efficiency than Drummond.

There have been multiple suitors listed for the 27-year-old Center, according to Shams Charania of the Athletic, and the Raptors are at the forefront of the rumors. Yet per usual, the Celtics have been linked to the Cavs big man, just as they have been in years past. The Celtics reportedly have a “strong interest” in Drummond, which doesn’t make much sense regarding team needs.

Regardless, let’s break down the Pros and Cons of Andre Drummond wearing green and white with the Boston Celtics:

Andre Drummond pro to joining Boston Celtics No.1): Rebounding

The best part of Drummond’s game has always been his rebounding. He has been the NBA’s rebounding leader for the better part of his career, pulling down a career 14 a game.

The nine-year pro has set NBA records for his rebounding, having the most seasons of 1,000 points and rebounds, and 100 blocks and steals. He also has the fourth most career 20-20 games, with 41, tying Sir Charles himself.

What is even more impressive is that he is probably just halfway through his career. He will continue to set rebounding records, at this rate, it is very feasible he ends up top 10 or even top 5 in all-time rebounding.

Drummond truly is an astounding rebounder, but it’s not just the defensive boards he pulls down, he has led the league in offensive rebounds six out of his nine years in the league. Offensive rebounding is one of the most important aspects of basketball, as it leads to second-chance points.

The big man has led the NBA in second-chance points three out of his nine years as a professional and been top 3-5 in 7 out of his 9 years in the league. These are quite daunting numbers to contend with as an opposing team.

While you may be thinking to yourself, “I’m sure his team just clears out and lets him get uncontested rebounds”, you couldn’t be more wrong. He has led the league in contested rebounds per game in every single year besides his rookie season.

This season the Boston Celtics are 17th in total rebounding, so Drummond could definitely help shore up the boards. However, the disappointing part of Drummond’s game, is that rebounding truly is his only “pro”. He is not adept in most other areas of basketball…leading us into a longer list of cons.

Andre Drummond con to joining Boston Celtics No.1: Shooting and Efficiency

Andre Drummond, inch for inch, might be the least efficient player in the NBA out of those who are on the floor regularly. He shoots just 47% from the field, which is league average. But with context, the fact that 95% of his shots come within 10 feet, that 47% seems a whole lot worse.

He shoots a measly 54% at the hoop, one of the worst rates for any center in the league. For example, Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown shoots 77% at the hoop. That is nearly 25% higher than Drummond, who has 4 inches, and 50 pounds on Brown.

His shooting splits overall are quite awful, missing all of his 3-point and midrange jump shot attempts this year and shooting just 39% from 3-10 feet. The root of his inefficiency, outside of lack of touch, is his shot selection and IQ.

The Cavs big man has a tendency to take shots off the dribble, as well as shots in isolation, and for someone of his stature, there are clearly many problems with that. He has a loose handle and is extremely turnover-prone, averaging nearly six turnovers per 100 possessions. That may not sound like a lot, but that is more turnovers per 100 than assist leader James Harden.

He takes 53% of his shots with a touch time of 2-6+ seconds, a lot longer than you would want your center touching the ball. He also has a 10% frequency of isolation, meaning one out of every ten plays you can expect an isolation from a turnover-prone, inefficient center.

According to Doug Smith, a beat writer for the Toronto Raptors, an anonymous league executive said:

"“Drummond could have 30 and 20 and have no impact on the game.”"

These may be harsh words, and this is obviously an over-exaggeration, but this league exec is not too far off from the truth. We have never seen him play meaningful basketball, maybe he could change with a set role on a contender, but that feels like high hopes.

Maybe the 6’10 rebounding machine would be better off with less of a scoring role, and more of a Tristan Thompson role, rebound and get second-chance points. But, that may be asking a lot speaking he has had at least a 25% usage since 2014.

Andre Drummond con to joining Boston Celtics No.2: Defense

Drummond’s steal and block numbers are extremely misleading, as he is actually a very below-average defender. He is constantly getting lost in rotation, he is slow, and he is one of the worst pick and roll defenders in the entire NBA.

His lack of ability on defense has forced his teams to constantly be in drop coverage, playing off-ball to make up for their big man’s weaknesses. This has led to Drummond having a negative on-off per 100 possessions for the majority of his career.

Even though he has posted 1.5 blocks and steals per game over his career, there needs to be context to explain those stats. While he is solid at cutting passing lanes, which leads to most of his steals, he is a very overrated shot blocker. He accounts for over 50% of his team’s block attempts, and he himself has 2 block attempts per game.

That is good for most in the NBA, he averages more block attempts than he does blocks. This means he “block chases.” By comparison, blocked-shot leader Myles Turner has just 0.4 blocked shot attempts per game.

This has led Drummond to be consistently at or near the top of the leaderboard for personal fouls year after year. To say the least, this is not what you want from your starting center, ironic speaking we have the foul king himself, Daniel Theis.

Regardless, the two-time all-star has become a liability in other areas of defense as well, more specifically pick and roll defense. Drummond very well may be the worst pick and roll defender in the entire NBA.

He is a 15th percentile pick and roll defender, allowing his opponents to score 1.3 points per possession. His opponents score 60% of the time in pick and roll, as well as shooting a 67% effective field goal percentage.

So to put it nicely, the former All-NBA center is not a feasible defensive option for any team. However, just like his offensive game, we have not seen it in a good system, and the notion he could be good with a limited role is a saving grace.

As a final verdict, I believe the Boston Celtics should stay far away from Drummond, as his box score statistics do him too much justice. When doing further research, you can see the Cavs big man is not all he is chalked up to be.

For the big man’s sake, I hope he can play winning basketball…just not with the Boston Celtics.