Drummond Now Under Contract With Pistons

The Detroit Pistons have signed their first-round pick, former Huskies big man Andre Drummond, who is currently taking part in the NBA Summer League. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed but based on Hoopsworld estimates for the 2012-13 NBA rookie wage scale, Drummond, taken ninth overall last month, can expect to make around $1.9 million in Year 1.

Drummond joins a Pistons frontcourt youth movement along with Brandon Knight and Greg Monroe, who were already on the roster.

“We have two young big men now. Greg is 22 years old, and Andre is obviously 18,” Pistons President Joe Dumars said via CBS Detroit. “Brandon is 20 years old. … We feel good about the young core of guys we’ve drafted the last few years.”

We've noted previously that Drummond's short summer league stint was a microcosm of his one year at UConn. Which is to say: plenty of highlight-reel material sandwiched around mistakes born from youth and inexperience. But the Pistons knew that going in and don't appear to be in any hurry to rush Drummond's progress.

Of course, it helps when he flashes glimpses of potential that made him a top-10 pick. And that's exactly what happened Wednesday when Drummond scored 10 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked four shots. And the 18-year-old credits coach Lawrence Frank.

“That's why I love him as a coach because, like, he doesn't really sugar-coat anything,” Drummond said according to MLive.com. “He tells me like it is. He tells me what I need to do to be a good player. So when he tells me something, I look him in the eye and I listen to him, because I know everything he's saying to me is trying to help me out as a player.”

And while the summer league is a long way from the bright lights of the NBA season, Drummond seems to have a firm grasp on his situation.

“As the days go on, I just get more comfortable with the position I'm in and the spots on the floor I get placed in,” he said. “Today, offensively, was definitely a big builder for me. Defensively, as well, too. I grabbed six rebounds in the first quarter. I'm just playing that much more harder and getting that much more better a feel for my teammates, so I'm starting to feel a lot better and a lot more comfortable.”

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