SVG: Drummond doesn't get enough credit for improved FT shooting

An up-and-down season has seen Stan Van Gundy occasionally at odds with his players, but he took a softer approach Tuesday with his hulking center.

Andre Drummond, a career 38 percent free-throw shooter, worked tirelessly in the offseason to improve at the charity stripe. Drummond incorporated virtual reality into his training routine, which, along with more practice, has seen his free-throw percentage rise by 10 percentage points.

Van Gundy is pleased with Drummond's improvements.

"I think the thing that people aren’t giving him enough credit for is he’s made significant improvement from last year," Van Gundy told Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. "The guy’s up 10 percent. That’s a huge improvement."

"It’s not nowhere near where you want it. You certainly don’t want it below 50, but I think … expecting him to go from 35 last year to 60 right away is probably an unrealistic expectation."

Drummond is making 44.7 percent of his freebies, which still ranks dead last in the NBA among players who have tried more than three free throws per game. But even his current mark would go down as a career-high for the 23-year-old.

Baby steps for Big Penguin.