Before this season, 76ers big man and NBA stalwart Andre Drummond had made 18 threes on a career 140 attempts, good for a paltry 12.9 percent from downtown across 13 years, six teams and 904 games.
This was never a point of contention for Drummond, as his game largely centered around his rebounding prowess, and for good reason. In 2017-18, he grabbed 16 boards a game for the Pistons, the highest mark for a full season this side of the millennium. Even now, as Drummond has transitioned from All-Star caliber starter to seasoned role player, his competency on the glass is enough to keep him atop the active rebounds per game leaderboard at 12.08, which also happens to be 18th all-time for a career (NBA/ABA).
But “Andre Drummond is a great rebounder” would be old news even a decade ago; that is no reason to wax poetic. The new news, however, is a perfectly good reason to do just that. Andre Drummond is not just making threes–he seems to have taken the abilities of a much better shooter in a Space-Jam Monstars-type situation (Klay Thompson being the prime suspect).
In all seriousness, Drummond’s development–and fearlessness–from beyond the arc may be reminiscent of Hollywood mythology, but it is very real. A little over a quarter of the way through the season, he has taken 36 threes, with fifteen of those shots finding the bottom of the net. Connecting on 41.7% of his threes, he is statistically the best long-range shotmaker on the Sixers among players taking at least one a game.
Based solely on the confident demeanor that Drummond sports every time he launches one from beyond the arc, this evolution of his game is no trick of the light. For the big man, it could mean a late-career renaissance a la Al Horford or Brook Lopez, but for the Sixers, its impact is–for now–felt within the confines of the current season.
Drummond aging like a fine wine for the 76ers all of a sudden
Drummond is in Philadelphia on a one-year contract which makes him a valuable asset when the trade deadline rolls around, and with the emergence of his sharpshooting, he may be the first 32-year-old center to have an appreciating value. His departure would leave a gaping hole on Philadelphia’s roster in the quasi-starter role that Joel Embiid’s tentative availability calls for.
Embiid isn’t going to suddenly start playing in every game, or even every other game, leaving Adem Bona and rookie Johni Broome as the usable bigs in the event that Drummond is shipped off.
The Sixers sit in a playoff spot as the new year approaches, and if they are able to hold their position into February, the decision to cash in on Drummond becomes that much more difficult. For now, the doctor’s recommendation is to revel in the sui generis of it all, and enjoy Monstar Drummond. Who knows, he could prove to be the perfect pairing for late-career Embiid and find his stay in the city of Brotherly Love extended.