Part of the espn+ article:
Drummond's box-score stats don't translate to value
On the surface, Drummond looks like one of the league's better centers. Any team acquiring him in a trade can put together an impressive press release, highlighting that Drummond is a two-time All-Star who has averaged 17.5 points and 15.1 rebounds since the start of the 2018-19 season. Over a three-season span since the ABA-NBA merger, only one other player has averaged better than 15 PPG and 15 RPG:
Moses Malone, whose similar stretch from 1977-78 through 1980-81 included his first MVP season.
Dig deeper and it's clear that Drummond is compiling his prodigious box-score stats in a very different environment, particularly for centers. As I explained
in a similar piece last season, Drummond's monstrous defensive rebound numbers don't always lead to his team excelling on the defensive glass because of his tendency to pursue rebounds instead of boxing out and allowing teammates to come down with boards.
That's happening again this season. As a team, Cleveland is 28th in the league in defensive rebound percentage. In fairness to Drummond, that's more about how much the team has struggled to secure rebounds with Allen and backup
JaVale McGee on the court. But even with Drummond, the league's best defensive rebounder in percentage terms, the Cavaliers have been only average on the defensive glass.
Looking at context also takes the air out of Drummond's scoring numbers, which have been built on volume rather than efficiency. Not since 2013-14, his first season as a full-time starter, Drummond has posted a true shooting percentage better than league average. And that has come in the context of centers scoring more efficiently than ever thanks to the floor spacing provided by improved shooting.
The average center this season is making 58% of 2-point attempts, another mark Drummond hasn't reached since 2013-14. In that span, his best 2-point accuracy was 55% last season. Troublingly, that's down to 48% so far in 2020-21.