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Cavs: Three post-All-Star break goals for Andre Drummond

By Dan Gilinsky

Cleveland Cavaliers big man Andre Drummond talks with players on the Atlanta Hawks bench in-game. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Cleveland Cavaliers big man Andre Drummond talks with players on the Atlanta Hawks bench in-game. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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Former Detroit Pistons big man (now of the Cleveland Cavaliers), Andre Drummond, blocks a shot. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Post-All-Star break goal #2 for Drummond: Average 2.0 steals, 1.8 blocks/game

Drummond does not have Rudy Gobert-like shot blocking capability, but he’s still a legitimate one near the paint, which is something the Cavs haven’t had in several years. For head coach John Beilein, associate head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and company, that’s a welcome addition.

This season, Drummond is currently eighth in the Association in total blocks, according to Basketball Reference, and through two contests, has three rejections as a Cavalier. In 2019-20, Dre has posted 1.7 blocks per game, which is a tad bit more than his career average of 1.6 per outing.

The big man’s career-high for blocks is 1.9 per game, to contextualize.

So for me, a realistic and notable goal that would show Drummond’s making an impact on the defensive interior is for him to average 1.8 blocks per contest the rest of this season. This play showcased his great timing defensively at making plays near the rim.

Though I don’t have a particular goal attached here, I’m also not going to gloss over the fact that Drummond is eighth in two-point shot contests per game in the league this season, according to NBA.com’s player tracking data. He often deters drivers from going closer to the rim, which is significant in itself, too, and allows other players around him on-ball to recover, or get to Drummond’s assignment if that’s feasible.

On top of his shot contests/blocks, Dre gets his hands in passing lanes so well, as evidenced by his 1.9 steals per game.

So looking at the next two months, that aforementioned block goal and 2.0 steals per game goal would indicate he is making a considerable impact defensively. That relates to helping out the perimeter pieces in Garland, Sexton, Osman and Kevin Porter Jr., in addition to bigs such as Kevin Love and Larry Nance Jr. in minutes alongside him.

Must Read. Three lineups the Cavs should use involving Drummond. light

Drummond is plenty capable of hitting that post-All-Star steals per game goal, too, as he’s third in the league in total steals, as shown by NBA.com.

Lastly, the third goal I have for Drummond has to do with the intangible aspect of what he can do for the Cavaliers in their effort to build a winning culture.