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There was a time in the not-too-distant past when a showdown between Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond was appointment viewing for fans of the Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons.
Two of the top young two-way centers in the NBA at the time, both were focal points of their respective teams with two-way versatility, even if the “Big Penguin” never expanded his range outside of the painted area. And yet, as Embiid's star continued to shine, Drummond's stock took a free fall, bouncing around the league before landing in Philadelphia for the 2021-22 season on a one-year, $2.4 million vet minimum contract.
Discussing what it was like to team up with a player who once tormented him both on and off the court in an appearance on the Run Your Race Podcast, Drummond revealed how the duo were able to co-exist and how they have since become good friends.
“Going to Philly was a crazy thing for me. I never thought in a million years I'd be the same teammate as Joel Embiid. If you look at the track record of why I'm saying that, is that we'd have this personal vendetta with each other,” Drummond told Run Your Race Podcast. “But it was never, you know, a real beef; it was just like I saw him being this guy, one of the best bigs in the league, and I was like, I want to get to that point that I was just as good. So I've got to play this guy to the best of my abilities. So, I would never back down from him, and he can attest to that. Some guys would let him do what he wants like I'm no b**tch, I'm not going for that.”
Though their initial pairing was shortlived, with Drummond only appearing in 49 games in Philadelphia before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets alongside Ben Simmons and Seth Curry, he immediately became a fan favorite in the city and has since returned to the team on a new two-year, $10 million deal. In the end, Drummond and Embiid are teammates once more, and the 76ers are going to need both of them to succeed in 2024-25, as the “Process” reportedly may never play a back-to-back game again.
Andre Drummond should be a perfect 1B for the 76ers in 2024
With Embiid's big announcement delivered to Tim Bontemps earlier in the week and 15 back-to-back games on the 76ers schedule in 2024-25, the 76ers are going to need Drummond now more than ever to step up and play a massive role moving forward.
Fortunately, in 76ers games where Embiid wasn't available but Drummond was starting, 12 to be exact, his production was very good, averaging nine points, 14.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and a steal in 29.3 minutes of action per night. Factor in the addition of second-round pick Adem Bona, who was encouraging in the preseason, and Olympic star Guerschon Yabusele, who is a power forward but could moonlight as a small-ball center due to his thick frame, and the 76ers might actually be able to win more than 16 games without Embiid on the court in 2024-25.
