The Pistons hired a new shooting coach to work with Andre Drummond
The Detroit Pistons added some quality shooters in Marcus Morris and Ersan Ilyasova this offseason, but the biggest addition may have been a new shooting coach to work with their biggest star: Andre Drummond.
Drummond shot just 38.9 percent from the free throw line last season, which invited plenty of intentional fouls from opposing teams. New shooting coach Dave Hopla hopes to change that.
Here's more from Keith Langlois at Pistons.com:
“We’re going to get together, all the coaches, so we all use the same terminology, we’re all on the same page,” Hopla said. “But I’m going to get with Andre every day. There are certain guys who’ll get more time than others, especially the big fella. He’s got some things you can’t teach. The guy’s a beast. I’m amazed. When he runs, you don’t even hear his feet hit the floor. Usually a big guy is powerful, but not agile, explosive like he is.”
Hopla is setting 50 percent as Drummond’s benchmark for free throws this season. If he can get there, the Pistons probably won’t see many teams employing the intentional fouling strategy.
“That’s what we’re going to go for,” Hopla said. “I’ve told him the main thing is to at least split. He’s up and down, but I think he can be a very respectable shooter. It’s a process of getting him to focus. It’s going to be challenging, but it’s going to be fun.”
(h/t Pistons.com)
