Major Andre Drummond Concern for Knicks Is Flying Under the Radar

Andre Drummond cannot and will not totally replace Mitchell Robinson. While he should be a serviceable defender and rebounder during the regular season, he still has defensive limitations and is a much worse finisher around the rim.

Fans have come around on Drummond, understanding that while there will very likely be a drop-off in production from the backup center position, the veteran big man should be perfectly fine in limited minutes. There is one concern with Drummond though: one he actually has in common with Robinson.

Andre Drummond's recent missed games could bite Knicks at center

For many years, fans were worried about one thing with Robinson, and that was availability.

His free throw issues and a lack of an offensive game left a lot to be desired, but he more than made up for his shortcomings with his elite offensive rebounding and defensive versatility. Still, Robinson struggled to stay healthy. It felt like every year, he was dealing with something else.

Drummond doesn't have the injury-prone label that Robinson does. And rightfully so. The reserve center has played in 967 games across 13 seasons, averaging just over 74.3 appearances per season. That's a lot more than the measly 49.6 games Robinson has averaged per season throughout his eight-year career.

But Drummond's availability has seen a decline over the last couple of seasons. This past campaign, he appeared in just 63 games for the 76ers. That's just three more than Robinson, who didn't play in back-to-backs. And the season before that? Drummond appeared in only 40 games while battling a toe sprain that eventually made him miss the last 17 contests before the playoffs.

The Knicks' training staff, led by Casey Smith, is widely considered as one of the best in the league. They've done a great job of keeping the team relatively healthy despite consistent playoff runs, and were the main advocators of Robinson not playing in back-to-backs.

Could they work their magic and get Drummond back to appearing in 70 games? Sure. It could help. We could be sitting here in a year commending the job Smith and his team have done.

But it's still a concerning trend. The Knicks current lack of center depth is well known. At this moment, there isn't a single player on the roster that can reliably play the center position besides Karl-Anthony Towns and Drummond.

Barring a major trade, Drummond will be leaned on heavily as Karl-Anthony Towns' main backup. And while Towns has been durable as a Knick, were he to miss time, Drummond's health becomes even more important.

Drummond turned 33 years old earlier this week. He isn't getting any younger. However likely it is that he appears in 70 games, it's just as likely that he appears in 50 or fewer.

The Knicks were able to navigate the few games Towns missed in 2025-26, and the inconsistent availability of Robinson, due to the fact that they had four centers. But with Ariel Hukporti and Trey Jemison no longer with the team, they are just down to two.

The consensus is that it won't stay that way. The Knicks will presumably find at least one more big man to round out the rest of the roster. But at this point in the offseason, it's unlikely that the Knicks will be able to find a player that will be a major contributor at the position.

Between Towns and Drummond, the Knicks still have one of the better big man rotations in the league. Though Drummond's slowly but surely increasing durability concerns, especially as he continues to age, should not be overlooked.

If Towns or Drummond, let alone both of them, were to miss time, the Knicks could find themselves with a serious issue on their hands.

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