Embiid: Drummond 'doesn't play any defense'

Andre Drummond's coach isn't the only one who feels the Detroit Pistons center's defense leaves something to be desired.

Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid, who lit up the Pistons for 30 points in 28 minutes in a Monday night victory, said Drummond should clean up his act at the defensive end before deigning to talk trash.

"Defensively, he doesn't play any defense," Embiid said after the game, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "When we started the game, he was being aggressive and he was talking, too. … So I was like (in my mind), 'You want to do that? I'm going to kick your (butt) then. So that's what I did. ...

"In my mind, I was like, 'You want to switch up, because you are playing against me. You want to be all physical and talk (trash.' So I was like, 'You are going to get your (butt beat).' I love that."

Drummond put up solid counting stats Monday, with 14 points, 14 rebounds, four steals, and a block. But he was a minus-11 in 38 minutes (Embiid was a plus-21) and the Pistons allowed 5.2 fewer points per 100 possessions with Durmmond on the bench.

For all his size, strength, athleticism, and rebounding prowess, the 24-year-old's theoretical defensive potential has yet to translate to reality - at least not on a consistent basis - six seasons into his NBA career. The Pistons have been worse defensively with him on the floor in all but one of those seasons (his All-Star 2015-16 campaign), and so far in 2017-18, even a repaired deviated septum and offseason trim-down don't appear to have moved the needle.