The Philadelphia 76ers made a savvy move in the 2021 offseason when they brought in former 2-time All-Star Andre Drummond on a veteran’s minimum contract. The former starter in this league has fully accepted his new role as a backup to Joel Embiid and he has shown off his value to this team.
The latest example of that was on Monday in a 122-119 overtime win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Earning the start in place of Embiid who was out due to a planned rest day, Drummond stepped up with 16 points, 23 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks as he filled in for Embiid in a big way.
“Huge plays, huge rebounds, huge blocked shots,” said coach Doc Rivers. “I keep calling him a kid because I’ve known him for so long, the kid can play. He really can. Somebody that got lost out there and I think we are very lucky to have him.”
Rivers was a big reason why Drummond came to Philadelphia in free agency. The two of them have had a relationship for a while and Rivers also liked Drummond’s ability to make plays with his passing even if it can be a bit adventurous at times.
“We knew he was a risky passer,” said Rivers. “He actually has great vision. The problem is, he wants to pass it every time. He wants to make that play every time. Sometimes, you need to pass up on some of those things, but when he’s solid and in the right spots, he’s a terrific passer.”
In Monday’s win, Drummond did have four assists in the first quarter as he really set the tone for the team’s ball movement efforts without Embiid and the Sixers built off it as the game went along.
“I’m like Santa Claus, I just hand them out,” Drummond laughed. “My job is to be a ball mover and get these guys open and get their shots. we are missing 30-plus points and 23 shots and boards with Joel missing so when I came to shootaround, I was telling each guy ‘We need you to get these shots’. I gotta find a way to get these guys open, get their shots that they need to, let them be the best them so that’s what I did.”
Still, there are times when Drummond will make some crazy passes and the ball will end up somewhere in the crowd for a turnover and that is where Rivers and the Sixers would like to find a balance with him.
“Irrational confidence is what we call it,” Rivers joked. “We haven’t found it yet, but we’re working on it. I always would rather have him, at least now, tend to be more aggressive with it than less and let us keep trying, it’s easier to kindle a fire than start a fire, right? So we’d rather for him to keep exploring and we’ll figure out a happy medium. We just haven’t found it yet.”
Either way, it is fortunate that Philadelphia has a guy they can rely on when Embiid needs a break. Drummond is averaging 6.3 points and 9.1 rebounds with 1.8 assists off the bench, but he can obviously still be a starter.
“I think, for me, in these moments, you gotta appreciate them,” Drummond added. “I play behind one of the best centers in the NBA right now so my job is to stay ready. Stay ready for these moments when they do come and not miss a beat when the time does come and we came out with a great win.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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