CAMDEN, N.J. — Andre Drummond is back with the Philadelphia 76ers. After spending the first half of the 2021-22 season with the Sixers and being traded to the Brooklyn Nets in the James Harden deal, Drummond joined the Chicago Bulls for two seasons before signing with the Sixers early in free agency.
Drummond averaged 6.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game while playing for the Sixers before the trade. He is without a doubt the best backup Joel Embiid has had in his career in Philadelphia.
In fact, the moment Embiid knew the Sixers could possibly get Drummond back, he gave him a call.
“We always stayed in constant communication, so that relationship never died,” Drummond said on Tuesday. “The moment that he found out there was a possibility I was going to come here, he called me immediately. I respected that. I loved that the most. He FaceTimed me like, ‘Bro, we doing this? What are we doing? What’s happening?’ His excitement overall was truly the pushing factor in me coming here.”
Drummond, who is one of the best rebounders ever to play the game of basketball, had other options in free agency. There were a lot of teams interested in him, but the Sixers made the most sense for him and that’s why he decided to return to Philadelphia.
“Yeah, I definitely had a couple of different options I could’ve looked at, but this one made the most sense for me,” Drummond stated. “It’s familiar, I know what I’m going to get here, and we have a great team.”
That comfort level and familiarity is mostly due to Embiid. The two big men have had a lot of battles in the past. Notably, when Drummond played for the Detroit Pistons, the two of them would go back and forth often. The respect factor is there for both players and the relationship never died even though Drummond was traded.
“As I said, I’ve had a chance to catch him early in my career in Detroit when he was very dominant,” Drummond finished. “I just had this conversation with somebody the other day–it was hard to stop him. It’s still hard to stop him now. He’s gotten even better. His game has just progressed over the years. He’s taken great care of his body and he’s still one of the best players in the league.”
The hope now is that the Sixers will not struggle as much when Embiid goes off the floor now that they have Drummond back on the roster.
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