Team USA Basketball: Andre Drummond Is The Future Best Center In The NBA? Detroit Pistons' Young Big Man Can Be Better Than Dwight Howard!

Andre Drummond was one of the final selections of Team USA. Most observers had him taking the boot in favor of one of the shooters, but an impressive showing in exhibition games earned him a rightful spot among the elite.

Drummond is the youngest player in Team USA and the fact that they could not let him go even if it meant changing the game plan speaks a lot about the talent.

Drummond shared his feelings on being given the chance to play for his country. From nba.com:

"I'm extremely honored to be selected along with this talented group of players for an opportunity to represent my country. I look forward to competing and representing our fans the right way."

Some of the evaluations on Drummond from the country's premier sports websites are very impressive, to say the least. From SI NBA:

"Andre Drummond: Having just turned 21, Drummond is arguably the rawest player on the roster, but he's raw in the "just scratching the surface of awesome potential" kind of way. The only player besides Drummond to average at least 13 rebounds per game in his age-20 season was Shaquille O'Neal, and there won't be many players capable of keeping him off the glass during the World Cup. This competition should be a good learning experience: Drummond is likely fifth among the five bigs on the depth chart this time around, but look for him to be a major factor for USA Basketball in future competitions."

Drummond is indeed very raw and there are still flaws in his game. His weak free throw shooting pretty much insures that he won't be used in close end games. But when ESPN made the position rankings for center, he was no.1, projected ahead of Dwight Howard, Joakim Noah and his Team USA mate DeMarcus Cousins!

ESPN elaborates their conclusion:

"Drummond might be the league's best rebounder, and his ability to dunk everything keeps his offensive efficiency high. His 13.8 WARP last season ranked 11th in the league, and he ended the season still too young to legally purchase a six pack of beer. Yet Drummond can be so much better. First, he's carving out a special place for himself among the pantheon of the NBA's worst free throw shooters. And his defensive real plus-minus (RPM) was break-even despite his shot-blocking and off-the-charts rebounding. Hopefully Stan Van Gundy can harness Drummond's immense energy and channel it in a positive direction."

Drummond's achievements are even more remarkable when you consider that he doesn't have a top point guard dishing him timely assists or the fact that the Pistons are suffering from a frontline conundrum.

Do you think Andre Drummond can become the best center in the NBA?