The Philadelphia 76ers are expecting great things this season, especially with the kind of roster they have. Recent injuries do not change that. After all, more than anything, the squad is much more equipped this time around to fill in when needed without the team missing a major beat.
One of the reasons for that is Andre Drummond, the prized backup center whom the 76ers managed to recruit back to play for Philly. With Joel Embiid not yet at a 100 percent condition to kickstart the 2024-25 campaign, the veteran big man will be of utmost importance for the club, especially at the early junctures of the season.
Having said that, Drummond has been a bit too candid recently, and 76ers fans may not be huge fans of what he just dished out.
76ers fans may pout at Andre Drummond after his recent remarks
In a recent appearance on the Run Your Race podcast, Drummond openly — and brazenly — admitted to having intentionally missed shots in ball games in order to rack up rebounds, which he has been primarily known for over the course of his 12-year career and culminated into two All-Star appearances in 2016 and 2018.
Drummond is widely considered as one of the best rebounders in NBA history, so this admission of his will inevitably leave some indelible mark on his resumé, no matter how slight. After all, a board-crasher of his caliber has virtually no need to purposely brick shots just to add up to his coralled rebounds.
Last season, he easily led the NBA in rebounds per 36 minutes, averaging nearly a double-double despite meager playing time.
Moving forward, the 76ers will bank on Drummond to be a proactive force on both ends, which necessarily includes finishing mannas from heaven at a very efficient rate, especially to begin with. Intentionally missing shots will be detrimental to the team’s on-court dynamic.
Having once been pegged as an all-stats, low-impact guy, Andre Drummond needs to prove everyone — including him — wrong. The Philadelphia 76ers are dreaming big, and the best he can do for the furtherance of that is to be an infectious cog on the hardwood.
Even if that means not racking up as much rebounds as he’s used to.