Shortly after the Sixers dispatched the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night, backup center Andre Drummond emerged from the home locker room, wearing a T-shirt and his blue game shorts.
His 6-year-old son Deion trailed behind.
“C’mon, slowpoke,” Drummond said gently.
The two of them would appear to be as close as can be, as indicated by a 2021 video that shows the elder Drummond leaping into a backyard pool to save his son, then 2, after he had tumbled in.
So now they headed off in the direction of the weight
room. The elder Drummond had to get his postgame lift in (presumably while Deion repaired to the room set aside by the team for players’ families), and never mind that it was growing late. Or that Andre had played the final 15:48, when the Sixers rallied from 10 down to win, 125-121.
That’s a long stretch for anyone, much less a 32-year-old in his 14th season. Or a guy whose stock in trade has always been rebounding. While with Detroit earlier in his career he led the league in offensive boards six times and in total rebounds four.
That’s a matter of positioning, guile and desire, not to mention strength. So the workouts are non-negotiable.
“It’s been a part of my regimen since early in my career, just lifting after games,” Drummond said after grabbing 13 boards to go with seven points. “It kind of just keeps my body going.”
The moral of the story is that little things add up, that seemingly minor acts might well determine the course of a season. Drummond understands that, and the Sixers can only hope that it is true in a larger sense, too.
They are 2-0, with a one-point victory over a Boston team missing Jayson Tatum and a four-point victory over a Charlotte club not expected to contend for the playoffs. Two games obviously represent a minute sample size, but consider this: They opened last season 0-2, en route to 1-7, 2-12, 3-14 and, by the end of the year, 24-58.
So while 2-0 might not mean everything, it’s entirely possible it means something.
They would like to believe they are better than they were a year ago — deeper, more versatile, better able to withstand the iffy health of Joel Embiid, currently on a minutes restriction, and Paul George, who has yet to make his season debut.
The rotation at present includes four guys who weren’t on the roster at the beginning of last season — starters VJ Edgecombe and Dominick Barlow and subs Quentin Grimes and Jabari Walker. Edgecombe, the prize rookie, has made a particular splash, and Grimes, acquired last February from Dallas, nailed the go-ahead 3-pointer with 15 seconds left Saturday.
Again, seems meaningful, even at this early date.
“And,” Drummond said, “I think we did the work. I think our offseason was really, really intense.”
He was one of the last guys to return to town this summer. And when he showed up for his first run with teammates, he was surprised to learn they were playing “prison ball,” as he called it.
“Like, we were calling no fouls,” he said. “We were just out there, hooping. … So just the energy in the gym was there from the beginning.”
It seems to have remained. Tyrese Maxey poured in 40 points in the opener, while Edgecombe added 34, most by a Sixer his first time out of the chute. And on Saturday, four guys notched 19 or more, topped by Maxey’s 28.
Afterward Maxey made sure to mention to Edgecombe that he had knocked down the clinching free throws with just over a second left, something the rookie had failed to do in the opener. (Wasn’t the first time the vet brought that up. He did so immediately after the Boston game, too.) Maxey also needled backup wing Justin Edwards about a double-dribble call against him Saturday, prompting howls of protest.
Meantime Charlotte coach Charles Lee said Drummond “changed the complexion of the game” with his boardwork. Drummond snagged six rebounds off the offensive glass, seven defensively and was a plus-12. Only Kelly Oubre Jr. (plus-18) was better.
“That’s one of those where you’re thrilled because he played so well and you got the result,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said, “and now you’re wondering why you didn’t use him earlier a little bit, to be honest.”
But with Embiid again limited to 20 minutes – a stint in which he scored 20 points – and the other rotational big, Adem Bona, ineffective in his 12 minutes, Nurse turned to the veteran.
“I just thought it was time to try to find some spark of energy,” he said. “And he certainly provided it.”
Nobody seemed surprised.
“That’s him, bro,” Edwards told a pack of reporters. “That’s Andre Drummond, man. Y’all should know that. It was huge for us.”
“Big minutes, big buckets, big stops,” Edgecombe said. “We all know what he can do.”
But Drummond wasn’t sure he was going to be allowed to do much of anything this season. He appeared in just 40 games in 2024-25, and had to work on his body and his mind over the summer.
Regarding the former, he said, “Changed the diet. Just ran more. Less cheat days.”
And evidence of the latter can be found in the new tattoo on the back of his right hand. “DON’T QUIT,” it says, in all capital letters.
“It’s a reminder to myself: No matter what happens, just never give up and just keep going,” he said, adding that ‘24-25 was “an interesting year.”
“It started making me second-guess – like, ‘Damn man, hopefully this is not it for me,’” he said. “You know, I’ve still got a lot left in the tank. So I felt like this is something to remind myself every time I have those moments of doubt.”
In truth, it’s still not clear what his role might be. He played just three minutes in Boston. But he has pledged to stay ready, and to serve as an example to the younger players. In particular he has counseled Edwards, who shot horribly in the preseason – 3-for-26 from the field, including 2-for-18 from the arc – after showing promise last winter.
Edwards swore his confidence didn’t take a hit, while at the same time admitting, “Not making shots, it’s more so like something where I battle within myself.” Whatever the case, he worked at his craft on the side and was ready when called upon in the second half Saturday, shooting 3-for-5 from downtown and scoring nine points in 12:29.
Might not mean anything. But then again, it could mean something. Certainly the Sixers are more than willing to grasp at such straws, to see what they can make of the smallest of building blocks. And all the better if they can push aside last season’s rubble in the process.
