3 moves the Cleveland Cavaliers made that look good in hindsight

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CLEVELAND, OHIO – FEBRUARY 06: Andre Drummond #3 of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives to the basket while under pressure from Jrue Holiday #21 and Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks during the fourth quarter at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 06, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

Andre Drummond

I remember when the Cavaliers acquired Andre Drummond right before the 2020 pandemic took place. It was such a huge deal at the time, though we should’ve known something was up. Despite being a walking double-double, and averaging 17 points and 15 rebounds at the time of the trade, Drummond was never a star in the making, nor was he the defensive player many thought he was in Detroit.

He wasn’t that nimble down low and his defensive skills were tepid at best. Considering all it took to land him was two second-round picks and some contracts to match the salary, it should’ve been obvious that he was a player being phased out by changing times in the league. Offensively, he took far too many low-percentage shots and had a true shooting percentage of just 50% when 2020-2021. Absolutely abhorrent, especially considering so many of his shots should be easy makes.

For comparison, Jarrett Allen has an all-time true-shooting percentage of 66.1% That’s a huge difference in reliability. During his time in Cleveland, Drummond put up -0.9 OBPM, +0.2 DBPM, and -0.7 BPM. During Allen’s time in Cleveland, the young center has posted a +1.7 OBPM, a +0.7 DBPM, and a +2.4 BPM.

Clearly, Drummond wasn’t the upgrade that many in the media had expected him to be. That could be why he’s a bench player now.

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