Andre Drummond has spent 14 NBA seasons controlling the glass, absorbing jokes about his finishing and occasionally laughing along with the internet.
The New York Knicks’ newest center did so again Thursday after an awkward Angel Reese sequence produced an unexpected comparison to his prime.
The popular BrickCenter account posted a short video of Reese attempting an unconventional move near the basket and joked that the Atlanta Dream star was “inventing new basketball moves.”
NBA writer Duncan Smith reposted the clip and wrote, “It’s crazy how often she reminds me of peak Andre Drummond.”
Drummond noticed.
“Now Duncan what I do to deserve this stray,” Drummond responded on X, adding a string of dots that underscored his mock exasperation.
It was a lighthearted response to a comparison intended partly as a joke. Strip away the social-media framing, however, and Reese and Drummond share the skill that has defined their professional careers: Few players create more second chances.
Andre Drummond and Angel Reese Share Elite Rebounding Trait
Reese is averaging 15.4 points and 11.5 rebounds in her first season with Atlanta, including five offensive rebounds per game. She became the fastest player in WNBA history to collect 1,000 career rebounds and has continued producing double-doubles at a record pace.
Her relentlessness around the rim has also fueled online criticism. Missed shots and unconventional finishes are routinely isolated into short clips, often without the rebounds, extra possessions or physical work that preceded them.
Getty Detroit Pistons Andre Drummond (C) pulls down a rebound against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, March 10, 2015.
Drummond understands that phenomenon.
At his peak with the Detroit Pistons, the two-time All-Star was one of the NBA’s most overwhelming rebounders. He led the league in rebounding four times and remains the NBA’s career leader in offensive rebounds per 36 minutes among players with at least 10,000 minutes.
Some of those offensive rebounds came after his own misses, which became a recurring punchline during his Detroit years. They still counted as valuable extra possessions.
That parallel gave Smith’s post its edge and made Drummond’s response land.
Drummond Needs to Rebound, Not Create Offense in New York
GettyAriel Hukporti of the New York Knicks battles Andre Drummond of the Philadelphia 76ers during their game at Madison Square Garden on February 26, 2025 in New York City. The two big men swapped places this offseason.
The Knicks signed Drummond to a one-year, $3.9 million contract after Mitchell Robinson joined the Boston Celtics. He is expected to back up Karl-Anthony Towns and provide the interior strength and rebounding New York lost with Robinson’s departure.
Drummond averaged 6.4 points and 8.4 rebounds in only 19.5 minutes per game for the Philadelphia 76ers last season. His career averages stand at 12.1 points and 11.9 rebounds across 967 games.
The defending champions will not ask him to create off the dribble or carry the offense. They need him to screen, protect the paint and punish opposing second units on the boards.
Drummond’s reaction showed he understood the joke. It also offered a reminder that the punchline has always obscured a historically productive specialty.
If the Knicks receive something resembling “peak Andre Drummond” on the glass, they will gladly accept the comparison — stray shot and all.
Knicks’ Andre Drummond Fires Back at Viral Angel Reese Comparison