The Philadelphia 76ers made some additions to their second unit in order to replace Dwight Howard as well as give Tobias Harris some real rest when he needs it. The Sixers needed some big men depth and they went out and brought in some solid options.
They brought in Andre Drummond on a veteran’s minimum deal and they also brought in Georges Niang on a 2-year team-friendly deal. Drummond is expected to replace Howard and backup Joel Embiid while Niang is looking to provide some shooting off the bench and make sure Harris gets some rest.
On day 2 of training camp on Wednesday, both Drummond and Niang received some praise.
“I think that they’re good additions,” said Furkan Korkmaz. “Georges and Andre, they’re really good guys. Especially off the court, we are talking a lot too. They are here to win. I can definitely say that, especially in the scrimmage like that. If they see something wrong, they are speaking and I can tell like they’re here.”
Drummond is showing off a bit of a passing ability that guard Shake Milton did not expect. Normally, the passing with the second unit comes from Milton himself, but now, they have an option in Drummond they can turn to.
“It’s been great,” said Milton. “G’s a smart player and he can shoot the ball really, really well so it makes it easy to play with him and Drummond, just his skill sizes is unreal. He has so much skill for that position. I didn’t know how good of a passer he was either so that’s definitely been fun.”
Coach Doc Rivers has known Drummond for a long time and he is happy now that he has him on his roster.
“I’ve known Andre since high school,” said Rivers. “The kid that I adopted, Adam, and Andre were roommates at military academy. So I’ve really known him and his mom, since high school. We’ve had this running joke for as long he’s in the league every year, ‘When are you going to come to get me?’ and so, when I called, I said ‘I’m calling to come to get you. Now you got to make the decision.’”
This is an opportunity for Drummond to play for his next contract. Considering that he is only 28-years old, the former 2-time All-Star now has a chance to earn a bigger role elsewhere and earn more money.
“Andre two or three years ago, was making max [money] and my first question is, ‘Why are you at where you’re at?.'” Rivers stated. “Let’s do something about that. So I’m telling you, he’s in great shape, he’s doing great things right now. He’s just got to keep doing it.”
The Sixers will continue training camp on Thursday to prepare for the 2021-22 season.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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