One of the biggest fears the Pistons had in drafting UConn center Andre Drummond was the fact that he was not one of the hardest workers.

During his one season in Connecticut he was known to take some plays during a game and the fear was he might fall into the same habits in the NBA where his natural talent couldn’t help as much as in college.  But according to strength and conditioning coach Arnie Kander Drummond has been impressive so far in being able to repeat everything that Kander has taught him day-to-day.

Kander has also been able to see the big man in action and wants Drummond to work on his conditioning and upper-body strength, but can see the abilities that made him a lottery pick:

He’s got a very elegant stride, beautiful mechanics… good running technique, head locked in. When he runs, he’s not bobbing back and forth. He’s very mechanically efficient. He stops quickly, transitions. He’s quick laterally. He doesn’t compensate or tip or lean, which a lot of bigs do. A lot of the bad habits you have to break, he hasn’t developed them. There are some things you work on when you get a little bit older, he’s right at that stage. The fact he shows that work ethic and wants to learn, the concentration and the focus on it, I see nothing but incredible upside.

With reports that Greg Monroe has taken Drummond under his wing to teach the young man how to be a professional these remarks are a very good sign for the Pistons.  Drummond can only benefit from learning from those around him, and if Ben Wallace were to return for another season he would also be another mentor.

With training camp still over two months away is it too early to believe that Drummond will be able to show this work ethic throughout the season?  Let us know at @DSBloggers on Twitter or on Facebook or in the comments below to tell us what you, the fans, think.