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Former Brooklyn Nets starter Andre Drummond, who came over last season in the James Harden deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, believes he’s going to go down as the best rebounder in NBA history.
The now-Chicago Bulls center has been one of the best rebounders since he entered the NBA, and although he’s bounced around between the Pistons, Cavaliers, Sixers, Nets and now the Bulls, he’s remained a dominant rebounder.
“I think I’m already there,” he said via CT Insider. “I’m on my way. By the time I retire, I’ll go down as the best rebounder ever—if not already.”
To his credit, his numbers certainly stack up, although he has a tough task ahead of him to become better remembered than former Pistons and Bulls standout Dennis Rodman.
Drummond is On His Way
As of right now, Drummond has 9,519 career rebounds, which ranks 46th all-time, but his average of 13.3 per game is 11th all-time.
For the Nets, he was below his career average at just 10.3 per game through 24 starts with Brooklyn.
With the exception of his rookie season and last year split between the Sixers and the Nets, Drummond has averaged double-digit rebounds per game. Part of the reason he’s become a journeyman in the league is the fact his offensive game hasn’t translated to the way today’s game is.
Drummond is a player who operates best next to the basket, and with spacing becoming a bigger and bigger part of teams now, Drummond has been an odd man out.
With the Bulls, he’ll likely slot in as the backup center behind Nikola Vucevic, and that might be the best option for him at this point in his career. Because of that, his rebounding will likely slow down given he’s not playing big minutes anymore.
Nets Have Nic Claxton Ready to Go
In Drummond’s place, Claxton is ready to go as the starter. Interestingly enough, Drummond initially praised the Nets for keeping him in a trade because he knew he wasn’t going to be around for now.
“If we’re all being honest, I’m only here til the rest of the season,” he said. “Who knows what’s gonna happen in the off-season? So they need a guy like (Nic).”
The Nets are going to be taking a risk on Claxton as he started just 19 games last season for the team and is now going to be thrust into a starting role. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are locked in for the upcoming season, so there will be championship aspirations in Brooklyn.
He did have his best season as a pro last season with 8.7 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game in 47 total games. He’ll likely be playing more than 20 minutes per game as well, but he might actually find himself sharing time with Ben Simmons at center according to coach Steve Nash.
Claxton will have a much smaller role on the team as Simmons, Irving and Durant will receive the lion’s share of attention on offense.
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