Andre Drummond: Sixers Have Great Core For Years To Come

The Sixers have certainly done their fair share in the free agency window this summer.  They’ve added solid role players like Caleb Martin and Eric Gordon, re-signed core pieces in Kelly Oubre and Tyrese Maxey, and of course, made a massive splash to sign Paul George to a maximum contract slot. But there is one addition, or really re-addition, to the squad that is leaving fans rejoiced.

Andre Drummond is back in a Sixers uniform. After witnessing the abysmal rebounding effort that the Sixers displayed during their playoff series loss to the Knicks, in which they were outrebounded by nearly 5 rebounds per game throughout the series, Drummond is a guy who will not only help this problem but make it his entire mission.

Related: Andre Drummond Returns To Sixers On A 2-Year Deal

Drummond is undoubtedly the best pure rebounder in the NBA, averaging nearly 19 boards per 36 minutes. When asked how he rebounds so efficiently, or if he has any sort of philosophy to it, he said: “I’ll be honest. So what I do is wherever team I play for, whoever I play with, you’ll catch me, I’ll sit there and watch certain players shoot, and I’ll see what their misses look like. And that’s how I really learned how to rebound for teams that I play for [...] I watch, I pay attention to what I play with”

Appreciating the importance of rebounding is also crucial when it comes to building a team that wants to compete for a championship. When push comes to shove, the team that is able to control the glass tends to walk away victorious. Rebounding is most definitely a skill, but it’s also just effort and desire to go up and get them. Down the stretch in the 4th quarter of a playoff game, it’s demoralizing to give your opponent extra possessions.

The Sixers gave up 87 offensive rebounds during the series against the Knicks for an average of 14.5 per game. Drummond is extremely excited to be back in Philly and plans on filling this need that the Sixers desperately needed: “It definitely feels good to have your game appreciated. Because what I do isn’t sexy. It’s not the things you see on the sport's top ten. Like, you don’t see what I do on TV, but it’s appreciated that I help winning and that’s the most important thing.”

It cannot be argued that Drummond was the best backup center that we have seen Joel Embiid have, with the non-Embiid minutes continuing to kill the Sixers in the past.

With Embiid’s noted health issues, Drummond realizes the importance of his role, saying “his growth over the years has been amazing. I think he’s just found the more seriousness of the game, of what he needs to do with his body to be able to play these games at a high level consistently. And I think that’s been his biggest knock in his career, being available. [...] That’s another piece of why I want to be here, just to make sure that I can help him the best way I can.”

What we hardly saw during Drummond’s first tenure with the squad was him teaming up with Tyrese Maxey. Maxey was certainly not the major piece that he is now, but his growth in the time that Drummond was gone surely caught his eye: “I saw that from the beginning. Just his work ethic was the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in somebody his age, especially for a kid who was kind of thrown into the fire.” 

And as for Nick Nurse, Drummond had this to say about his new coach: “He’s a great coach. Champion. He is a very different kind, of course. And what I heard in a really good way, I think he is gonna be able to help me project my game in a way that I haven’t seen before, at least in what he said to me. So I’m looking forward to what he’s trying to bring out of me.”

Only time will tell if this signing ends up helping the Sixers, but for the time being, we have every reason to believe that it will.

A little less than a week after making the biggest splash of free agency, and signing Paul George, the Sixers rounded out their starting lineup by bringing in Caleb Martin.

They signed the former Heat Forward to a 4-year $32 million deal. Seemingly a bargain given what he was estimated to make going into free agency. He is another defensive minded player to throw into the starting lineup. But he is no slouch on the offensive side either, averaging over 10 points per game last year.

He is even better in the playoffs. In the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, he was a key part to the Heat beating the Celtics. He averaged 19.3 pts per game, the 2nd highest total for them behind Jimmy Butler. I the decisive game 7, he had his best game of the series finishing with 26 points and 10 rebounds.

Related: Sixers Sign Caleb Martin, Waive Paul Reed

Well today, he was introduced officially as a Philadelphia Sixer. Caleb Martin spoke to the media. But after that he also sat down for a interview on Mid-Days With Bob Cooney. Bob Cooney and Amy Fadool got a chance to talk to the newest Sixers player, and get to know him a bit better.

Why did he pick Philadelphia? What does he bring to the team? What are his thoughts on his new teammates, and coach? What does he expect his role to be? They got into all of that, and more. See some of what Caleb Martin had to say below.

Bob Cooney: "You know, you can ask an athlete when they come here and say, Oh, why'd you come here? And in the back of your mind, as a reporter, as a guy on the radio, in the back of my mind, I say, well, because they gave him a boatload of money. You came here, it appears, for different reasons, and you are being applauded for it. What is the most exciting thing about coming here to play for the Philadelphia 76ers?

Caleb Martin: "I think being a part of something special that they're building here. I think, you know, the last couple years I've had a decent amount of winning experience, and I would love to try to bring that type of energy and approach to this team, which they've already have, and I just think that they're just trying to build more on that. So I just want to be part of the winning process here."

Amy Fadool: "You've gone against the Sixers for a number of years, and you know what they're trying to build here. How much was that a draw, when you see all the moves they had, and the fact they had basically a clean slate, a blank roster, really. Now they're building it and you were one of the key pieces. What does that tell you?"

Caleb Martin: "It just makes me grateful and appreciative that they see me as a piece that can help them try to get to where they're going, and ultimately, that championship. Just being a guy who's recently been to the finals, (who) also understands how long that road is, and how tough that road is. It's about taking it a step at a time and that starts before we even start training camp. But again, like you said, it is like just being a part of something special and being a part of that winning culture, and being a part of something that's bigger than yourself is something that's very that definitely wants to draw you in."

Bob Cooney: "Caleb, you come here to Philadelphia and if I had two envelopes here, and I said, Caleb, this envelope has 25 to 30 minutes a night as a starter, and this envelope has 25 to 30 minutes a night as a reserve…Does that matter to you?"

Caleb Martin: "Starting or coming off the bench doesn't matter. I think with me, it's more getting the minutes, and I like to pride myself on finishing games, just in terms of being in and being in when it matters and when it matters down the stretch and when games on the line and when you need stops, or whatever it is, I like to be a guy that that can be relied on. Obviously, those are things I got to build trust through training camp with a new team and new staff. And I understand that's the part where you kind of have to re-identify yourself and build that trust back up with a new group. I'm going to pride myself on trying to be in those situations as much as possible."

Amy Fadool: "It's a new team. But you know one of your teammates, Kelly Oubre. Your days go back to when he was at Findlay Prep, you were at Oak Hill with your brother. I saw your brother is here with you and you’ve got some of your family (here). (Oubre) says he still owes you for Oak Hill beating Findlay Prep in the championship, but he also called himself the triplet, the third Martin. You guys obviously have a good relationship., I know he knows Cody a bit better, but how reassuring is it to already have a little bit of a familiar face?"

Caleb Martin: "It's definitely reassuring. It's a good feeling to know that you're coming in just not on your own, and to have somebody who kind of knows you and knows how you operate and with me knowing how Kelly operates and what he's about. It's always good to have someone like that on your side coming into a new situation. So I'm excited to play with the triplet."

Bob Cooney: "What were some of the things you maybe looked into that we don't know about that helped you in this decision?"

Caleb Martin: "I felt that even when I was in Miami, just coming to play here, it's just the environment, just the atmosphere of the fans and the way the city backs their teams. The type of good pressure it is to play well in is a privilege to be able to be under that type of, I would say, pressure, but, you know, it's a good type of pressure, and it's a fun type of pressure, and I think that only raises your level of play and attitude and approach to the game. So, you know, it did really excite me to be able to be a part of something like this at a time like this."

Amy Fadool: "You've seen Nick Nurse, when he was with the Raptors and you saw him with the Sixers. How much was he a draw?"

Caleb Martin: "Huge, you know. That's part of the reason, what drew me to Miami, you know, with (Erik Spolestra) and and then now here with Nick. Seeing his style and seeing his history, his winning history, and how he relates to players, how players are drawn to him. I just think that he's definitely a type of player’s coach, the type of style that gave me confidence in being here. (He) just seems like the type of guy that you want to play for."

Amy Fadool: "You saw Tyrese Maxey when he first got here, and then each year, get better and better, the Most Improved Player last year…Here's a guy that absolutely is a blur half the time. What do you think it's gonna be like playing with a guy like that?"

Caleb Martin: "I'm gonna love that. I'm a runner, you know what I mean? So with a guy like that, that's that fast with the ball, he (and Joel Embiid) those two guys and now, including PG, they draw so much attention, I should have a field day, you know I mean. I like this, it's kind of hard to believe that my looks won't be easier. So that's one thing, obviously I'm excited about too. But just be able to, figure out to play with those guys and just have fun. I think it's gonna be very exciting. Those guys tend to put on a show night in, night out, so I'm glad I get to be in the front row."