NBA Analyst Believes Celtics Would ‘Maximize’ Andre Drummond’s Potential

Andre Drummond might flourish fully in green.

ESPN NBA analyst Amin Elhassan argued Wednesday on Sirius XM NBA Radio the Detroit Pistons center would “maximize his potential” by playing for the Boston Celtics. The Dallas Mavericks, Toronto Raptors and Celtics reportedly are interested in acquiring Drummond in a trade, and Elhassan believes Boston is the ideal destination for a player of his age and talent level.

“He definitely has a toolset that is desirable,” Elhassan said. “He’s got great size. He moves pretty well, not only in his vertical explosion, but he’s pretty agile. And you know there’s one thing he does at an elite level, that’s rebounding.

“… You’re still talking about a guy who’s not quite 30 years old. There are places I can see him going and basically being the same guy.

“I think if he went to Boston, we’d see him maximize his potential. I don’t Boston’s interest, I don’t know if they want to get into a situation where they have to make a decision that they have to pay him immediately next year.

“But just in a world with no contracts, if I took this guy and I put him on the Celtics, a team that has a need for size, I think they could get the most out of him.”

Whether the Pistons are shopping Drummond, 26, is unclear, and doubt surrounds the Celtics’ ability or willingness to assemble a package required to satisfy Detroit’s demands.

What’s clear, however, is Drummond is an elite center, who almost certainly would upgrade Boston’s front-court options. He’s a two-time All-Star, has led the NBA in rebounding three of the last four seasons and is on pace to do so again in 2019-20.

Drummond’s resume is impressive, despite the fact he has spent seven-plus years on mostly losing teams. Imagine how much gaudier his resume would look if he played for a contender?