Andre Drummond’s first seven games in a Knicks uniform have been a mixed bag, and that’s putting it kindly. New York is still sitting at 3-4 after Monday’s win, and the backup center spot has already produced a little bit of everything: strong rebounding nights, defensive stretches that actually helped, and a couple of games where Drummond got yanked before he could settle in.
The clearest takeaway so far? The threes are gone. That part of the offseason move has already paid off.
If you’re sorting his seven outings from best to worst, the top spot belongs to his night against his former team. Drummond gave the Knicks 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds in the win over the Pistons, New York’s first victory over Detroit since the 2025 postseason.
His +16 trailed only Josh Hart’s +19, and the numbers around his minutes tell the story: the Knicks posted a 139.3 offensive rating, 82.8 defensive rating and +56.5 net rating in the 14:14 he played. Without him, those numbers dropped to a 105.9 offensive rating, 109.0 defensive rating and -3.1 net rating over 33:46.
His second-best showing came on Opening Night, when Karl-Anthony Towns got into immediate foul trouble and Drummond had to hold things together early. He played 17:24 of the 24 possible first-half minutes, put up 10 points and 12 rebounds, and helped the Knicks take a four-point lead into halftime.
New York won his minutes by seven in that first half, while losing Towns’ minutes by three. The second half was rougher - Drummond went 1-of-5 from the field and the Knicks were outscored by 13 - but the early impact was real.
One of his better all-around games came in the Knicks’ most recent win, even if it came with a few head-scratching moments. The defense was excellent with Drummond on the floor, and New York allowed a 100.0 defensive rating in his minutes.
He also played a key role when Towns went to the bench after the Knicks opened the fourth quarter on a 20-to-5 run. Drummond came in and kept the pressure on, and the Knicks didn’t allow a point in the 2:53 he played in the fourth.
They also won his minutes by three.
The comeback win over the Bulls on October 28 also landed near the top of the list because of what Drummond did in the third quarter. He logged seven minutes in that frame, and that’s when the Knicks’ offense really got rolling.
They scored 19 points on 14 possessions for a 135.7 offensive rating and won those minutes by four. For the full game, New York had a 103.1 defensive rating in Drummond’s 15:08 on the floor, compared with a 132.4 defensive rating when he sat.
He finished with 11 rebounds, but he also missed four of six shots, committed two fouls and had a turnover.
After that, the performances start sliding downhill. In the Knicks’ third straight loss, Drummond was benched for the second game in a row.
He played 7:09 in the first half, then got pulled in the second quarter after Wendell Carter Jr. beat him down the floor for a bucket. The game wasn’t a disaster from Drummond alone, but back-to-back benchings made him stand out.
His second loss to the Sixers to open the season was even uglier on the defensive end. The Knicks’ offense actually posted a 123.8 offensive rating in his 12:05 on the floor, but they still lost those minutes by one. The bigger issue was the defense he gave them in the first half, which was described as atrocious.
And at the bottom sits his second game of the season against the Celtics, the one that looked like he didn’t belong on the floor. It was the first of two times Mike Brown benched Drummond in favor of James Wiseman.
He played just seven minutes, picked up three fouls, and the Knicks lost his minutes by eight points in a game they lost by four. The split was stark: New York posted a 118.2 offensive rating and +6.6 net rating in Drummond’s 40:55 off the floor, but only an 80.0 offensive rating and -62.9 net rating in his 7:06 on the court.
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