Andre Drummond heaps praise for a historic display in limited minutes vs. Spurs

Drummond received love as he helped the Bulls pick up victory against San Antonio.

© Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

As the Chicago Bulls continued their renaissance, Andre Drummond was the latest to join the dance. With Victor Wembanyama captivating the Windy City, the Bulls were unfazed by the hype imposed by the rookie phenom as Drummond led the charge off the bench with a historic night.

Big man feasted in 19 minutes against the San Antonio Spurs, finishing with 12 points, 8 rebounds, 5 steals, and two blocks to help the Bulls pick up its third-straight win. With this strong performance, Drummond became the first player in NBA history to tally those numbers in just 20 minutes or less.

Don't forget about DRE 😤@NBCSChicago | @AndreDrummond pic.twitter.com/uV4nx5vx1o

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 22, 2023

A commendable presence

Drummond played a major role in Wembanyama’s most nightmarish game of his young NBA career thus far. After setting numerous records as a rookie, the Frenchman was limited to a season-low seven points and five rebounds. He went scoreless in the first half, only logged 22 minutes, and shot just 3-of-8 from the field.

Using his enormous body, Andre helped both Patrick Williams and Nikola Vucevic terrorize Wemby, which coach Billy Donovan was impressed with.

“Defensively he’s a handful,” Donovan said after their win against the Spurs. “Just because he’s so long and even when you get angles to the basket, you still have to try to finish over him. But I did think the physicality of Andre on both ends of the floor — one when he was trying to cut and move, the physicality when he tried to get a little bit closer to the basket, Andre holding him up and then I think even though at times Andre didn’t get the ball, him occupying him physically — those things helped us because clearly he was a factor at the basket.”

A lovely connection

With his fantastic effort on both ends of the floor, Drummond received an early nod from the fans within the United Center — a standing ovation after he logged his second-quarter play.

The veteran well received the appreciation, and he can only reciprocate this accordingly.

"The fans here in Chicago, I love you guys," Drummond shouted in postgame.

Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond speak about the relationship they share on and off the court