On a day where the Philadelphia 76ers were hit with more bad news when it comes to the health and safety protocols, they were able to at least get some reinforcements on Thursday.
Andre Drummond returned from a 4-game absence from being in the protocols and he had a big impact in their 110-102 win over the Brooklyn Nets. The former 2-time All-Star had 10 points and 10 rebounds off the bench in support of a big game from Joel Embiid and he was a plus-8 in 15:58 of playing time.
“Every time he’s played, he’s given us a lift,” said acting head coach Dan Burke of Drummond. “Just a simple fact that he runs the floor. The end of the third quarter, he runs the floor, and we’re thinking we’ve got a rough offensive unit, but when you run the floor, and make the extra pass, and get him in the paint, he’s always getting his hands on rebounds, and he protects the paint. He’s so agile. He’s got quick feet, quick hands, that was a huge lift for us.”
Drummond, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 19, was able to return to practice on Wednesday. With the team in need of some reinforcements, he stepped up in a really big way for them. He was anxious to get back out on the floor.
“It was great to come back,” he beamed. “Being on lockdown for 10 days is definitely no fun especially being away from my guys. Missing their energy and watching them from afar was definitely hard to do, but coming back out here tonight, my main goal was just to play hard and give it the best I had with whatever minutes I got. I didn’t know what they were gonna do with me being gone. I did what I was supposed to.”
The Sixers are a team that relies on everybody to step up and produce. They are not the type of team that will be able to just randomly turn it on. They need every to help and contribute and Drummond’s return was just what they needed against a very good Nets team.
“We do it as a team,” said Embiid. “We need everybody every single night. We’re not a team that’s gonna come out and play bad for three quarters and turn it up in the fourth quarter and win the game. We need everybody to contribute and it’s great to have him back. Whether it’s rebounding the ball, setting screens, and just getting extra possessions, and he’s a great passer.
Like I said, we need everybody. It’s good to have almost everybody back.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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