Sixers who have exceeded expectations: Andre Drummond
Not many people knew what to think when the Sixers signed Andre Drummond, who not too long ago with an All-Star center beefing rather publicly with Joel Embiid. A few years removed from grace, however, Drummond has adapted nicely to life as a backup. In fact, he looks like one of the more dominant reserve big men in the NBA.
Drummond’s peculiar brand of chaos can get irksome when stretched over 30-40 minutes of action. He’s too erratic with his decision-making, and too inconsistent with his effort (at least, that has been the case in years past). As the Sixers’ backup, however, Drummond has been able to consecrate his energy for 15-20 minutes a night, and in doing so has already rehabilitated his image quite a bit.
In 15.8 minutes per game, Drummond is averaging 5.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.0 block. That’s an extremely well-rounded stat line. His 2.6 turnovers per game is the one obvious drawback, but Drummond’s creativity and ambition as a passer has been overwhelmingly positive. He already has excellent chemistry with the Sixers’ perimeter creators and is still arguably the most dominant rebounder in the game (20.5 per 36 minutes).
Drummond is no longer a starting NBA center. At least, not for a contending team. But he is an excellent backup, capable of throwing haymakers on both sides of the ball. Drummond has been the best backup of the Embiid era by a significant margin, and he should continue to see steady playing time for as long as Ben Simmons is out.