Andre Drummond solid against Milwaukee Bucks in Sixers’ return

Andre Drummond grabbed the offensive rebound and converted the putback — then let out a scream — during the third quarter of the 76ers’ season opener on Wednesday night.

It was a flash of Drummond’s dominant ability as part of a Game 1 performance that coach Nick Nurse later characterized as “OK” and “solid.” Drummond compiled a double-double, with 10 points and 13 rebounds in 25 minutes, while filling in the starting center role in place of superstar Joel Embiid in the Sixers’ 124-109 home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. And it was an exit that, like his team’s, left Drummond feeling like there was a lot to evaluate and adjust in his time back with the Sixers.

“I wouldn’t say it was much different,” when asked about starting the regular season opener versus the preseason. “Now, obviously, that counts, there is a little more intensity in the game. … But nothing changed in my mentality. Just go out there and try to do the same thing every night.”

Drummond and Nurse still consider the burly 31-year-old — and two-time All-Star — a starting-caliber center. He’ll need to be that way as he fills that role for at least the rest of this week, and periodically throughout the season as Embiid nurses his surgically repaired knee on the road to the playoffs.

” READ MORE: Sources: NBA likely to investigate Sixers’ decision to sign Joel Embiid for season opener

Wednesday’s performance came about a week after Drummond visibly brightened while sitting courtside before the Sixers’ shootout in Atlanta. He said he felt his career was undergoing a “renaissance” of sorts because of the way Nurse believed he could contribute beyond recovery.

He has the green light to fire three points, scoring one in the first half on Wednesday. He also has more freedom to handle the ball and make plays outside of the pick and roll, to run the court in transition and to pressure and switch defensively. Nurse also plans to experiment with putting Drummond in different spots on the floor, after “most of his career people just parked him along the baseline and wanted him to retrieve the ball,” the coach said.

Nurse had these ideas after the Sixers’ preseason opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Des Moines, Iowa, he said. Drummond added that his coach recently referenced film he studied from Drummond’s 2017-18 All-Star season with the Detroit Pistons.

“Guys are starting to figure out that once I’m there, we’re going to have to move,” Drummond told The Inquirer from Atlanta. “I don’t want to wait. I don’t want to sit around doing nothing, because you won’t get the most out of me. …

“It feels good to be here now and actually have someone who really believes in my game and really wants me to be great.”

Drummond said he learned on Tuesday that he would start the season opener, hoping to “seize the moment” and “show that I am capable of being a starter in this league.”

He grabbed five rebounds in the first six minutes of the game and had nine by halftime. But he battled issues throughout the game, including one on the offensive end when he caught a pass and drove hard into Brook Lopez. A successful challenge by Bucks coach Doc Rivers overturned what was originally called a defensive foul. In the second half, Drummond went 3 of 4 from the field – including a Kelly Oubre Jr. shot and a late dunk – and totaled four rebounds.

The Bucks also provided a unique defensive challenge for Drummond because of the way Lopez stretches the floor when jumping to the three-point line following a screen. Drummond picked up his fourth foul less than three minutes into the third quarter, and then his fifth early in the final period. But he insisted those whistles did not alter his approach.

“I still play the same way,” he said. “Still pressure on the ball. Still try to go after rebounds. It doesn’t matter if I commit four fouls or five fouls, I’m still going to play the same way. When you play the right way, the game will reward you, so I wasn’t trying to take my foot off the gas.”

” READ MORE: Doc Rivers praises Andre Drummond, who he still regrets trading Ben Simmons: ‘He’s just a great guy’

Drummond said Wednesday night that he was looking forward to the film session to review details — such as his and his teammates’ positioning and whether they completed game plan tasks — of his first official game back with the Sixers jersey.

He began the 2021-22 season with the team, before becoming part of Ben Simmons’ blockbuster trade package with the Brooklyn Nets. It’s a play that Rivers, who was the Sixers’ coach at the time, said “was difficult for me,” and from which the team struggled to recover. The Sixers were torpedoed during the minutes Embiid rested in their first-round playoff loss to the New York Knicks, which ultimately led to Embiid allegedly calling Drummond to make a draft pitch.

“We already know when Jo comes back what kind of offense we’re going to play,” Drummond said. “But we have to have a difference between him and me when we are there, different playing styles. …

“Obviously, when (Embiid is) healthy, we need him all year long. But being able to go up whenever you have those moments of rest and need to stay out, knowing that there will be no giving up.”

Still, Drummond acknowledged last week that “it would take a minute to get back to that rhythm.” But Wednesday marked a “solid” first start to this pivotal 2024-25 Sixers season, with many more expected to come.

“It’s going to be a really fun year,” Drummond said. “I feel like I’ve been called up again, like I’m the new kid on the block and I can prove myself again.”