As an avid Detroit Pistons fan, watching Andre Drummond walk to the free-throw line in previous seasons evoked a feeling of fear.  It was the same feeling that came from being called on in class when you failed to do the reading.  You knew it was destined to end poorly from the moment your name came out of the teacher’s mouth.

When you showed up to class unprepared, you did whatever you could to avoid hearing your name.  You avoided eye contact.  You put your head down.  You answered the easy question in hopes that you wouldn’t be called upon to answer the question you didn’t know.

Such was Drummond’s free-throw shooting prior to this year.

A career 38 percent shooter from the charity stripe, the big man often acted like that unprepared student.  He avoided contact near the rim.  He wouldn’t touch the ball along the perimeter with his team in the bonus.  He fell away on hook shots rather than getting into the defender’s chest.

But then came October 2017.

Drummond entered the preseason with a new and improved stroke.  Everything was simplified.  The early returns were exciting: Drummond made 16 of 20 freebies.

Those encouraging results continued into the regular season and culminated in a previously unthinkable 14-of-16 performance against the Milwaukee Bucks in early November.  A unique energy filled Detroit’s new arena for the first time all year.  The feeling when Drummond walked to the free-throw line turned from fear to cautious optimism.  Suddenly, you were returning to your next class fully prepared.  You were ready to provide the answer this time around.

The implications of Drummond’s improved free-throw shooting are significant for both him and his team.  Most obviously, he can now stay on the floor at the end of close games.  Previously, that was not the case.  Even with rules preventing “hacking” situations, defenders could simply foul him when he was part of the play as a screener.  When he was on the floor, the Detroit Pistons really only had four usable players in critical situations.

But the effects of his 63.8 percent shooting from the charity stripe extend far beyond the end of games.

Gone are the days in which Drummond sits in the back of the classroom with his head down, avoiding eye contact. Now, he has a confidence and energy that has led to improved efficiency in several different offensive areas.

His overall efficiency has improved with his better free-throw shooting; his field-goal percentage has jumped more than three percentage points over last year’s production.  Some of that growth is the result of fewer post-ups, but it has more to do with his increased aggressiveness. He’s not worried about getting fouled and going to the line.

Drummond has been a far bigger part of Detroit’s offense this season.  He has frequently served as an initiator of offense through dribble hand-offs.  Unafraid of drawing whistles, he has turned those plays into drives when appropriate:

Catching Enes Kanter flat-footed, he drove to the rim after faking the hand-off.  When he ran into Kristaps Porzingis, he continued his drive, got into his body and finished through contact.  In past seasons, Drummond likely would have stopped when he saw Porzingis and shot a low-percentage shot outside of the paint.  Now unafraid of heading to the line, he absorbed contact and made the layup.

These drives have become relatively commonplace for Drummond.  He has attempted two drives per game this season, more than double the 0.7 and 0.8 marks from the past two years.  In addition to the increased attempts, he’s improved his efficiency from the low-30s to a solid 53.8 shooting percentage.

In other situations, like cutting possessions and put-backs, Drummond’s usage has remained constant.  But his willingness to seek out contact has improved his efficiency:

At the end of his impressive performance against the Milwaukee Bucks, Drummond cut toward the basket and received a pass from Stanley Johnson about 10 feet from the basket.  Rather than put up an inefficient hook shot, he took a stride further into the paint and drew a foul.  He then stepped to the line and confidently knocked down two free throws to ice the game.

Although he’s barely increased his shot attempts on cuts, Drummond has drawn fouls on 35.7 percent of those possessions, compared to 18.8 percent and 23 percent the previous two years.

In put-back situations, Drummond’s aggressiveness has resulted in an increase in “and-one” frequency, as he’s accomplished the feat on 10 percent of relevant plays this year.  In the previous two seasons, Drummond made the put-back and went to the line less than 5 percent of the time.  His efficiency has jumped from 1.02 and 1.08 points per possession to an impressive 1.27, which leaves him in the 75th percentile.

Undeterred after his first shot was blocked, Drummond converts on the subsequent put-back by getting his body into JaVale McGee rather than fading away.  In previous years, the initial block may have discouraged him and caused him to shy away from contact.  This year, things are different.

The free-throw shooting may be sustainable at its current rate, in spite of the occasional off performances like his 0-of-7 showing against the Indiana Pacers.  Those nights will probably continue from time to time.  But if he approaches the paint offensively with the same fearless abandon that he’s possessed so far this season, good things will come.

For Pistons fans, the wait will have been well worth it.

Follow Matt on Twitter @waymatth.

Follow NBA Math on Twitter @NBA_Math, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Unless otherwise indicated, all stats are from NBA Math, Basketball Reference or NBA.com and are accurate heading into games on November 10.