When the Knicks brought in Andre Drummond this offseason, the obvious appeal was easy to spot. He could give New York the kind of rebounding punch and rim protection Mitchell Robinson had provided during his eight years with the team.
What has stood out in the preseason, though, is that Drummond may be giving them more than a familiar Robinson-style presence. The veteran center has shown flashes of an offensive game that can create for himself, not just finish what others set up.
That is nothing like the old version of Drummond. Beyond the improvement he has made as a shooter in recent years, he has been displaying a broader set of skills this preseason. He already arrived after making 35.6 percent of his three-point tries, a career-best mark, but that has not been the whole story.
He has also been backing down defenders on the block, using spin moves to get clean looks at the rim, and even putting the ball on the deck near the three-point line to create a shot. He showed that last part on Thursday in New York’s 122-120 win over the Raptors.
After so long waiting for Robinson to develop any real offensive package, the Knicks may have found a big man who can actually bring that kind of game.
Even with the added polish on offense, Drummond still lives on the glass. That has been the foundation of his career, and it remains his biggest strength.
Over 14 seasons, the 33-year-old has led the league in rebounding four times and has piled up 11,513 boards. That currently puts him 27th all-time.
He also made clear last week that he has a specific target in mind for this Knicks season: 442 more rebounds. Hitting that number would move him past Dennis Rodman, who sits 24th on the all-time list.
Given Drummond’s career average of 976 rebounds a year, along with the 532 he grabbed in the 2025-26 season while playing fewer than 20 minutes a night, that milestone looks well within reach by season’s end.
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Carmelo Anthony, never one to shy away from weighing in on matters involving his former teammate, has already pushed back publicly on the scrutiny. The former Knicks star criticized the investigation and defended James, adding another familiar voice to a story that now sits somewhere between league business and player loyalty. [Read more 🡒]