Former Detroit Pistons All-Star Makes Bold Claim

Former Pistons center Andre Drummond remains as confident as ever.

Jan 18, 2020; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) and Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter (12) battle for a rebound in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-Imagn Images / Jason Getz-Imagn Images

It takes a special kind of confidence to thrive in the NBA. Former Detroit Pistons All-Star Andre Drummond certainly possesses the trait that helps him navigate through this next phase of his career without worrying about losing value in the areas he thrives.

Heading into year 13, Drummond remains confident in the fact that he’s one of the NBA’s best rebounders.

Scratch that…

Andre Drummond wants the world to know he is the best rebounder. Period.

“I’m the best rebounder to ever play the game,” Drummond told reporters in Philly earlier this week.

In case people didn’t hear him the first time, the former Piston made himself clear.

“Do you want me to say that again? You want to record that? Yeah, I’m the best rebounder ever…ever.”

As the Philadelphia 76ers entered the free agency market this past summer, they looked to patch up their rebounding issue by acquiring Drummond for a second stint. They got the guy with the right mindset.

During his Detroit days, Drummond starred in multiple areas of the game, but his value on the boards was so obvious. The 2015-2016 season was the first time Drummond led the league in rebounds per game with 14.8. While he fell off the top the following year, he reclaimed the title in 2017-2018 with a career-high 16 rebounds per game.

He won the title two more times. By the time Drummond left the Pistons, he had routed with two All-Star appearances, an All-NBA Third Team nod, and four rebounding leader titles.

For the last few seasons, Drummond has accepted roles as a backup center. It started with the Sixers in 2021 when he joined forces with Joel Embiid. While Drummond started for a short stint on the Brooklyn Nets, he came off the bench for 67 games with the Chicago Bulls in 2022-2023. He was a reserve for all but ten games last year.

Drummond enters his second stint with the Sixers keeping the same confidence he possessed in Detroit. The 31-year-old still believes he’s a starting-caliber big man. He might get scattered starts in the absence of Embiid over time, but Drummond is embracing a role off the bench for the 2024-2025 season.

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