76ers Player Preview: Andre Drummond will unlock new possibilities

The Philadelphia 76ers entered the offseason not only looking for shiny, new toys, but also some fuel to replenish an emptied tank in a certain department. Following the frim repercussions of Joel Embiid missing a significant chunk of the 2023-24 season due to injury, the front office aggressively sought a high-end backup to the 2023 MVP.

Lo and behold, Philly snagged arguably the best one available in the market in Andre Drummond, who spent the previous campaign being a nightly double-double force in Chicago despite meager playing time. Already a Sixer once, he will indubitably fortify a big man rotation that was previously fragile prior to his arrival.

Andre Drummond will open up new possibilities in his second go-round with the 76ers

Having Drummond is big for the 76ers, especially because it is almost imperative at this point for the franchise to design a more streamlined responsibility for Joel Embiid on all facets. While he’s still operating at a level very rarely seen before, it makes no sense for the team to extract everything out of him when they can funnel some of his workload through others.

An area the coaching staff needs to be more meticulous with Embiid is minutes. Pinning him to around 31 to 32 minutes per outing would be ideal to preserve his body for the postseason. While that would’ve been a death knell last season with Paul Reed and Mo Bamba failing to be viable, consistent backups, Drummond should be a different story.

Despite being years removed from his All-Star form, Drummond has remained the best rebounder in the NBA and it isn’t even cose. The raw numbers, when calibrated per-36 minutes, clearly corroborate that fact, and even better, that’s not the only package he’s bringing to Philly.

The 31-year old is also an adept finisher, and his imposing presence makes him a suitable backup who can spot-start when needed (take not of the word when). Off the bench, he unlocks a new dimension in the offense as a high-usage pick-and-roll partner with, say, Kyle Lowry or Reggie Jackson, giving the 76ers an optimal second-unit that wouldn’t be sapped off scoring and defensive ability.

Hopefully, Andre Drummond turns in an even better showing in his second stint with the Philadelphia 76ers, as it would allow the franchise to not only be more competitive, but also have more leeway to be careful for the long run.