Jason Maxiell came to the Pistons as a four-year college player at a nationally prominent program to a roster as loaded with frontcourt savvy and depth as just about any in modern NBA history. Ahead of him on the depth chart for Flip Saunders’ first season, 2005-06, were Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess, Dale Davis and Darko Milicic, still considered a prospect of considerable potential at the time.

If there’s a measure of how fast the world turns over on an NBA player’s career, it’s that a mere seven years later the roles have completely reversed. Maxiell is now a Pistons graybeard and prepared to take Andre Drummond under his wing, in the same way the Wallaces and McDyess and Davis were so freely giving of their time and advice to him – once he proved worthy.

That’s the way it works: Vets – at least those that earn their reputation as “good teammates” – will always pay it forward with young players who are willing dues payers. Maxiell was. He saw evidence that Drummond will be during the few days he spent practicing with him during the run-up to the Orlando Pro Summer League.

Warning to Drummond: You’re going to be tested early and often when training camp rolls around.

It’s not just the 48 minutes of game time that can be overwhelming to young players – and Drummond isn’t just a rookie, he’s a rookie who just turned 19 less than a month ago – it’s the entirety of the NBA experience, complete with an 82-game schedule and an arduous travel itinerary.

Maxiell saw enough in Orlando to feel pretty certain that Drummond has a bright future, though.

via Keith Langlois of Pistons.com