There are so many things to love about this YouTube mix of Andre Drummond's preseason. Actually, it's not even his entire preseason; this video was posted after the first six of Detroit's eight preseason games.
Drummond has been spectacular early on. After falling to ninth in the 2012 draft --Detroit happily took the big man to pair with Greg Monroe -- Drummond has become an instant highlight sensation. He's throwing down alley-oops, slapping shots away from opponents and giving Pistons fans a lot of hope.
He gave them so much hope that one guy decided to capture his first magical six preseason games.
The beauty of this video is it starts out by reminding you that Charlie Villanueva is really bad at his job. Since signing a five-year, $35 million contract in 2009, Villanueva has been less than exciting for Pistons fans. He hasn't lived up to the expectations that come with a long-term contract like that and he's left fans calling for his head on an amnesty-clause platter.
You get to see Vllanueva throwing up terrible shots in preseason action before showing Rodney Stuckey in pain and glory. There are even a couple of shots of Ben Gordon with the lyrics playing, "when you love someone and it goes to waste." That's followed by more bad Villanueva.
And then the turning point. The music starts becoming more hopeful as Drummond enters the game and Pistons fans' lives.
"I will try to fix you ..."
These lyrics -- with the slow motion replay of Drummond displaying his insane athleticism to go with a gigantic frame -- captures the concept of hope perfectly. Emily Dickson once wrote, "Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul. And sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.”
This is Drummond in literary form.
The rookie big man from Connecticut is perched in the soul of Detroit fans who are hoping for a turn in their franchise's fortunes. And his preseason performances certainly show a turn might be coming. In eight preseason games, Drummond played just 16.5 minutes per game but still managed to average nine points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
His per 36-minute numbers were an impressive 19.6 points, 12.8 rebounds and three blocks. He made 62.3 percent of his field goals. There were a couple of negatives. He made just 37.5 percent of his free throws and average 6.0 fouls per 36 minutes.
Foul trouble and free throw shooting will continue to be an issue for Drummond in his rookie season, but he should still provide huge matchup issues for the Pistons' opponents. Opponents will have to keep Drummond and Monroe off the boards. Drummond is a shot-blocking presence that will alter foes attack the rim.
And Drummond is more than capable of providing highlights that can galvanize a team during any given game. Don't believe me? Just listen to the music in this video. Hope is here for Pistons fans.
