CAMDEN, N.J. — Joel Embiid called Andre Drummond when he learned that the veteran rebounding extraordinaire could return to the Philadelphia 76ers. Drummond was already very fond of a reunion with the Sixers in free agency but the over-the-top excitement from his former teammate — the face of the franchise — sealed the deal.
“The moment that he found out there's a possibility that I was gonna come here, he called me immediately, so I respected that and I loved that the most,” the 76ers' new backup center said. “He FaceTimed like, ‘Bro, we doing this, what we doing? What's happening?’ His excitement overall was truly the pushing factor of me coming here.”
Drummond said he and Embiid continued to talk and maintain a relationship after Drummond was included in the 2022 trade that brought James Harden to Philly. Daryl Morey reportedly tried to trade for Drummond at last season’s trade deadline but the Chicago Bulls weren’t budging. It ended up saving the Sixers some assets and leaving them with a wait of just a few months before implementing him as the backup center again.
“I am thrilled that Andre is coming back to the 76ers,” Morey said in the announcement of the Drummond signing. “A tremendous presence, and one of the best rebounders the modern NBA has seen, he made a great impact with us during his first stint in Philly and we know he’ll do the same this time around. Andre possesses an innate ability to attack the glass and will fortify our formidable front court.”
Andre Drummond couldn’t hide his excitement as he held up his new jersey, donning the No. 5 as something that “represents change.” After spending the last handful of seasons on a variety of teams and preparing to turn 31 years old next month, he hopes he can stay a while in one place: the City of Brotherly Love.
“It feels like home. It feels good to be back,” he said. “I'm excited to be here, excited to try again and be here for the entire journey. Looking forward to what's to come…To have the opportunity to be back here again, to play in front of these fans, I'm forever grateful and excited.”
Andre Drummond feels at home in second stint with 76ers
Way back in the day, when Embiid more commonly lit up an opponent online after an on-court kerfuffle, he and Drummond, then the franchise star of the Detroit Pistons, appeared to be enemies. Embiid calling Drummond a bum on social media indicated some tension. But both of them downplayed the animosity when Drummond initially joined the Sixers in 2021.
Drummond became a starter in his second NBA season and played seven more seasons as a starter. Then, he joined the 76ers as Embiid's backup, setting aside his pride for the chance to play on a championship hopeful. He instantly loved it in Philadelphia but spent the last two seasons with the Chicago Bulls. Even in those first 49 games as a Sixer, he made a very good impression.
It's “an honor” to be recognized as the best backup center Embiid has ever had, Drummond said. Paul Reed perhaps has an argument for that title but regardless, Drummond was indeed one of the very best players to back Embiid up. Tagging him out and sending in one of the best rebounders in the game on both ends made for a very good center rotation. Drummond stands strongly on the stance that he is the all-time best in that area of the game.
“I pride myself on that,” Drummond said. “I set out from that for my rookie year, to be the best there ever was to do it. And I still stand on it to this date, I'm the best rebounder that's ever played this game. I'm gonna make sure I leave that mark.”
Although Drummond is as good of a rebounder as there is, he doesn’t solve one of the most crucial gaps in Philly's ability to get boards: the over-reliance on Embiid in the starting and closing lineups. Drummond and Embiid won’t share the court together this season, so while the Sixers should be better at securing boards when Embiid rests, the need for improvement when he plays still exists. That will either come with the addition of a bigger forward or more of an emphasis on gang rebounding.
Even though the Sixers won’t be among the strongest rebound vacuums in the NBA, their revamped roster has its own strengths that should make it one of the best in basketball. The additions of Paul George, Caleb Martin, Eric Gordon and Jared McCain and the re-signings of Kelly Oubre Jr. and Kyle Lowry put versatile talent around Embiid and Tyrese Maxey that offers upside as a shooter, athletic playmaker or both.
Philly's only holdovers from Drummond's last game with the team are Embiid and Maxey. Back then, Maxey was a mere sophomore jumping into the starting lineup trying to help the team. Now he's an established star, something Drummond saw coming because of his incredible work ethic.
“He's done everything that I expected him to do,” he said. “From the day I met Tyrese, I said, this kid is gonna be special. He's worked. He never takes any days off. He works on his game, he works on his body, he does everything to try to make himself and his team better. You can't ask for more from a guy like him and everything that he's got is well-deserved.”
Just as he did with a second-year Reed, Drummond has a young understudy in Adem Bona on the roster with him. The rookie out of UCLA is an uber-athletic center with a nonstop motor that will eventually challenge Drummond for minutes, though perhaps not right away to start the 2024-25 campaign. The two of them will keep each other working hard as the season rolls along. Among the many things Drummond will instill in Bona — in addition to any tricks of the rebounding trade — is an appreciation for Philly.
Andre Drummond and the 76ers reuniting was easier to call than most free agents changing teams. Coming back home includes a sense of comfort in a highly competitive environment where the goal is to compete for the championship.
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