The Knicks may have lost Mitchell Robinson’s bruising presence when he left for the Boston Celtics on a three-year deal, but Andre Drummond is wasting no time showing he can bring some edge of his own.
Drummond’s first notable move in a Knicks uniform came off the floor, not on it. After NBA 2K announced on Wednesday that San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama would be the cover athlete for NBA 2K27, Drummond jumped on social media to question why Jalen Brunson didn’t get the honor instead.
“How’s @jalenbrunson1 not the cover ?”
That kind of public backing is a small thing, but it fits the job New York brought Drummond in to do. Robinson was never just another center for the Knicks; he was a tone-setter, and replacing that kind of personality is no easy assignment. Drummond arrives with a built-in connection to the fan base, too, since he’s from Mount Vernon, NY, giving the roster a little more local flavor.
On the court, the fit is more about what he can create on the glass than what he finishes once he gets there. Drummond has long been known for offensive rebounding, and that’s the part of Robinson’s absence he can help address right away. But the finishing numbers show the difference between the two big men in stark terms.
Last season, Robinson finished more than 72% of his shots around the rim, which ranked in the NBA’s 88th percentile according to Dunks & Threes. Drummond shot 52.6% in that same area, a mark that landed in the seventh percentile.
That number is jarring for a 7-footer with Drummond’s size and strength, though his shot profile in Philadelphia offers some explanation. Under Nick Nurse, he took about a quarter of his shots from beyond the 3-point line, a strange enough usage pattern that it helped soften the blow if he wasn’t going to be especially efficient at the rim.
Still, the Knicks are betting that their spacing under Mike Brown can help maximize what Drummond does best: extend possessions, crash the boards and give New York extra chances. That’s been part of the organization’s identity for the last several seasons, and it’s a skill set that makes Drummond a natural fit for the role Robinson left behind.
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The irony now is that his bargain looks even sharper in hindsight. Brunson is only the third-highest-paid player on the Knicks despite being their best player, and the championship they won with him at the center of it all only underscores how valuable that sacrifice was. Around the league, young players like Cason Wallace are already being discussed in the same contract neighborhood as Christian Braun, Jalen Suggs and Dyson Daniels, which makes Brunsons deal feel less like a discount and more like a once-in-a-generation outlier. [Read more 🡒]