Former UConn Big Man Drops Double-Double In Debut With New NBA Team
A former UConn Huskies big man turned in a more than respectable outing in his debut with the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.
Philadelphia ended up losing to the Milwaukee Bucks on the road in the season opener, but it wasn’t for lack of production from their starting center for the night, former UConn star Andre Drummond.
Drummond, who recently proclaimed to the world that he is the best rebounder of all time, certainly walked the walk on Wednesday with a 10-point, 13-rebound double-double in 28 minutes for Philadelphia.
Drummond was 4-for-8 from the field versus the Bucks. He was starting in place of the injured Joel Embiid, who missed the 76ers’ opener along with new acquisition Paul George.
Drummond is expected to be a reliable backup to Embiid this season, and he showed in his first game with the team that he’s still in his prime as a rebounding monster. Don’t be surprised if Drummond has multiple 20-rebound games this season, especially with Embiid’s health ever-wavering.
Drummond is still just 31 years old. He’s in his thirteenth NBA season and has thus far averaged 12.4 rebounds per game in 865 career regular season games.
The two-time NBA All-Star spent one season at UConn (2011-12) before declaring for the NBA draft and getting selected at No. 9 overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2012 draft.
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Colin Keane is a contributing journalist for "UConn Huskies On SI." Born in Illinois, Colin grew up in Massachusetts as the third of four brothers. For his high school education, Colin attended St. Mark's School (Southborough, MA), where he played basketball and soccer and served as student body president. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Villanova University. Colin currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "UConn Huskies On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org