76ers Big Man Expresses Confidence in Speedy Injury Recovery

Philadelphia 76ers veteran Andre Drummond is confident he'll be back soon.

Nov 18, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond (5) grabs a rebound against the Miami Heat during the third quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia 76ers are dealing with more injury concerns in the frontcourt. When the team paid a visit to the Detroit Pistons over the weekend, Sixers veteran big man Andre Drummond suffered a sprained ankle just a few minutes into the matchup.

At that point, the Sixers were already down a center. Joel Embiid has been dealing with swelling and soreness in the knee he injured last year. As a result, Embiid has been resting and tending to a personal matter.

For the most part, Drummond has started in place of Embiid throughout the first stretch of the 2024-2025 NBA season, but he’ll have to take at least a few games off as well. As bad as Drummond’s setback looked on Saturday in Detroit, the veteran big man expresses confidence in a speedy injury recovery.

“Days,” Drummond told reporters when asked how many weeks he could potentially miss. “I recover fast, man. I’m staying on top of it. Just doing what the doctors tell me to do, and when it’s time for me to come back, I’ll come back. My plan is to come back soon."

Sixers center Andre Drummond on how many weeks he expects to miss with his sprained right ankle: "Weeks? Days. I recover fast, man. I’m staying on top of it. Just doing what the doctors tell me to do and when it’s time for me to come back, I’ll come back. My plan is to come back…

— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) December 2, 2024

On Monday, the Sixers announced that Drummond’s official diagnosis was an ankle sprain. As a result, he is expected to miss at least three games. He’ll sit out for Tuesday night’s NBA Cup action against the Charlotte Hornets. When the Sixers return home for two games against the Orlando Magic, Drummond will be on the bench for both matchups.

Over the weekend, Drummond will be re-evaluated to determine the rest of his injury recovery timeline. The earliest he could return is on Sunday when the Sixers face Drummond’s former team, the Chicago Bulls.

While returning this week might seem far-fetched for Drummond, the veteran center seems confident in the possibility of that happening. For the time being, the Sixers are going to have to extend a larger role to Guerschon Yabusele while offering the rookie second-round pick Adem Bona an opportunity to pick up a role in the absence of Drummond.

This year, Drummond has appeared in 17 games, picking up 11 starts. He averaged eight points and eight rebounds before going down.