Absolutely no one had Andre Drummond turning into a sharpshooter for the Philadelphia 76ers on their bingo cards before the season even started. That very proposition, after all, is anathema to reality — the reality that the veteran big man has long been one of the least impactful players in the game from outside the paint.
Instead, the former All-Star center is apparently trying to prolong his career — and increase his value — by adopting a Brook Lopez-like career transformation. So far this season, he has canned 41.7 percent of his three-point attempts. Mind you, these are not your typical, last-ditch bombs. Drummond’s three-point diet, while pretty modest, has not been regular.
With Drummond emerging as someone who can be a factor as a floor-spacer, the 76ers probably already have a cemented pecking order at center, especially off the bench. That means that Adem Bona, who was once deemed his heir apparent to assume the role he is manning, now faces a much more difficult trek to get consistent minutes moving forward.
Andre Drummond’s meteoric rise as a three-point shooter means Adem Bona is the odd man out for the 76ers
Bona has not necessarily struggled this season, but he has not been particularly impressive, either. His court time and role have plateaued, and what was once believed to be a possible breakout season for him has become just a pedestrian one. In fact, he has already been going back-and-forth with the 76ers and the Delaware Blue Coats in the G-League.
The sophomore big man usurping Drummond in the rotation was always going to be a tough sell even before the veteran started becoming a three-point threat. Now, with the longtime center trying to establish himself as a viable stretch five, Bona will most likely have to settle for third-string duty off the bench, especially when Joel Embiid is playing.
Given the 76ers’ abundance of shot creators and skilled cutters, it is way more beneficial for them to have as many floor spacers as possible. Both Embiid and Drummond have three-point shooting in their current skill sets while Bona most certainly does not. In truth, that is not the end of the world for him, but the 76ers are trying to win now, and they are not going to wait for the sophomore to start expanding his game.
For now, the Philadelphia 76ers will favor Andre Drummond over Adem Bona — which is okay. While a long-term vision entails that giving the latter more exposure will be more sensible, this franchise is just as invested, if not more, on the present.