Drummond powers up in Pistons' exhibition loss

Auburn Hills — Andre Drummond showed off the offensive skills that he worked so hard on this summer.

He is developing a game for which the Pistons hope they can go to him in a tough spot. He was a new man Tuesday, even though he is an old face.

But Drummond is also a team player. He didn't initially want to talk about himself following the Pistons' 115-112 exhibition loss to the Indiana Pacers at the Palace.

"It wasn't enough," he said. "We lost."

He was late on kicking the ball out on double teams a couple of times, but on one play he literally benched pressed guard Jordan Hill, who was trying to double-team him. Drummond shook him off like a bug and powered to the basket for an easy hoop.

BOX SCORE: Pacers 115, Pistons 112

Drummond is stronger, faster and comes armed with a new set of moves from a tough summer of coast-to-coast workouts.

Drummond, at 6-foot-11 and 279 pounds, is still a big man. But he is thinner in the hips and more athletic looking than a season ago. He has curtailed on good times and gotten serious about his craft.

Drummond finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and three assists. This time the hulking center did not simply outwork opponents for offensive rebounds.

He opened up his offense with new moves.

"I took the liberty to really work on my post game," Drummond said. "We have a lot of guys on the team that can shoot the ball. It takes pressure off me when I do get the ball. They cannot really double down on me because they can shoot the ball. For me it was me working on my game and being able to make the play."

Pistons fans got to see the new and improved Drummond, who comes armed with a left-handed jump hook, up-and-under move and a developing post game. He made seven of 10 shots which is a much higher percentage than the career low 51.4 percent he shot last season.

The Pistons need Drummond to be more than an energy guy. As this team develops it will need to look down low for him in key spots. Drummond must produce and be able to locate open men on the perimeter in Stan Van Gundy's spread-the-floor and spread-the-wealth offense.

"I thought he has good energy. He played with toughness and played hard," Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said of Drummond. "So I will take that. I thought there were a few times where he could have thrown the ball out. What I wanted to see was guys playing hard and competing and he did that."

One of Drummond's baskets came on a tip off an alley-oop pass from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, whom Van Gundy said has been the Pistons' best player in practice. It was hard to argue after he dropped 22 points and four assists on the Pacers while making seven of nine shots and six of his seven 3-point attempts.

If the Pistons can get solid production from Caldwell-Pope it will open things up inside for Drummond because defenders must respect outside shooting. That didn't happen much last season as defenders clogged the middle and dared the Pistons to shoot outside.

Caldwell-Pope appears to be a better ballhandler and wants to attack the rim more. He started doing it more last season but sometimes got in trouble. Now with a better handle he wants to finish more.

It was also a solid night for rookie Stanley Johnson who got his first of real NBA action. Johnson finished with 26 points and four assists, and threw down three dunks off transition.

"I came in here talking about how many things I could do versatility-wise. Now you've got to do it," Johnson said. "I think any time you get on the court and get an NBA game in it is a positive. Playing against a superstar Paul George you get to see what that's like. I think just playing. Knowledge is power. Your best teacher is experience."

Van Gundy gave Johnson thumbs up.

"He is a real competitor," Van Gundy said. "His will is so strong that at times he was forcing plays. But again I would rather deal with that. He's a tough guy and I think that showed through today."

The Pistons played without point guard Reggie Jackson. He was replaced by Spencer Dinwiddie, who finished with four points and four assists. He struggled defensively and fouled out.

The Pistons must learn to defend a superstar player. Paul George led Indiana with 32 points, 20 in the first quarter.

The Pistons are off until Thursday when they host Brooklyn.

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