Philadelphia 76ers fans were quick to write off Andre Drummond after a disappointing 2024-2025 season in which he posted a career-low points per game. But his recent piece has given the fandom reason to reconsider.
Drummond scored 12 points on 5-6 shooting from the field and 11 rebounds in the 76ers’ 114-105 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Friday night. This is the third straight game in which he recorded a double-double. Drummond continues to offer solid offensive production amid Joel Embiid’s absence and Adem Bona’s struggles.
Bounce back
Philadelphia got the full Drummond experience tonight, but the positives outweighed the negatives.
He collected rebounds on both ends of the court as four of his nine rebounds came off the offensive glass, resulting in two putback layups. Drummond has honed his inside touch this year, shooting 65.4% from the field in his last three games. He had many flaws last season, but his inefficiency at the rim was perhaps the most frustrating. Drummond converted just 58.2% of his shots within three feet of the basket in 2024-25.
His drop coverage tempted the Pistons to exploit him in pick-and-rolls, an issue that has plagued him throughout his 14-year career. Drummond also recorded three turnovers on just two assists. Nevertheless, he was an excellent innings-eater between his rebounding and improved inside scoring, something that couldn’t be said in the previous campaign.
Drummond for three?
Most intriguing is Drummond’s new three-point shooting, closing the game 2-2 from beyond the arc. Both triples came from the corner where the veteran noted with confidence. Drummond is averaging 1.2 perimeter attempts per game this season, which is a career high.
What apparently started out as a bit slowly evolves from an unfavorable shot to something Nick Nurse can live with regardless of whether it’s a bull’s-eye. It remains to be seen if Drummond can maintain his range at age 32. If he can at least be a neutral shooter, it would improve Philadelphia’s spacing — giving Tyrese Maxey and others more room to operate in the paint.
Come on
Drummond’s recent stint is reminiscent of his 49-game tenure with the 76ers in the 2021-2022 season. Before Philadelphia traded him to the Brooklyn Nets on February 10, 2022, he was their best backup center of the Embiid era. Drummond now competes with Bona for minutes and may not reach those heights.
But he is already on pace to produce more than last season. Drummond averaged 7.3 points per game on 53.5% true shooting and 7.8 rebounds in 40 games in 2024-2025. Although his points and rebounds have only increased by 0.3 and 0.8 respectively, he is affecting the game offensively at a higher level in terms of activity and movement.
He must remain consistent as Philadelphia looks to remain competitive while Embiid – who is there every day – misses the last two games due to pain in the right knee.
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