One reason why the Philadelphia 76ers were pegged to have had a massively successful offseason is the fact that they managed to lure in Andre Drummond in free agency. The veteran center, a former two-time All-Star, was coming off a very solid season with the Bulls where he cemeneted his place as one of the best backups in the association.
Drummond returns for a second go-round in Philly. He spent one season with the franchise during the 2021-22 season, backing up Joel Embiid, This time, he is slated to man the crucial task of making the 76ers remain functional when the 2023 MVP is not on the hardwood.
New 76ers big man Andre Drummond re-addresses former beef with Joel Embiid
What an interesting turn of events it has been, right? As some people might know, Drummond previously had a string of altercations with the 76ers superstar back when he was still the man at the core of things in Detroit. Since his first stint in Philly, however, the talented rebounder has not been shy about his candidly positive relation with Embiid.
I'm playing against the best center in the league every single day, so not only is he getting the best work out of me, vice versa — I'm getting the best work out of him because he's challenging me, as well. And for me, he knows I'm not gonna ever back down from him.
And it's been like that I've been in Detroit. I think that's really why he respects me, because no matter how good he is, he might have the upper hand on me but I'm gonna keep coming. I'm gonna push him to be great. I'm gonna push him to be the best player he can be, really to show the world why he is the best center to play this game.
Embiid himself was the one who recruited Drummond to Philly, a testament to the 180-flip their relationship went through. Now, the 76ers get to get the best of both worlds with one of the best players in the world manning the main engine of the team’s attack and one of the best backups in the NBA maintaining said production on his own terms.
Drummond, who easily led the NBA in rebounding per 36 minutes last season, is inarguably the best board-crasher we have today. Despite limited playing time in Chicago, he was a consistent double-double machine with pretty sokid finishing ability as well.
Barring a drastic decline — which sure seems unlikely to occur at this juncture — the Philadelphia 76ers should be in for a treat next season with Andre Drummond spelling Joel Embiid, a jarring area of weakness for the squad in the previous campaign.