Drummond Stays Back for Banner Moment, Then Delivers for Knicks

Andre Drummond opted to stay in the locker room while his new teammates celebrated their championship with a banner-raising ceremony and ring distribution prior to the New York Knicks' season-opening 106-100 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Drummond, the only newcomer to have played in the game, expressed a desire to earn his own championship moment. "I feel like I gotta earn it," Drummond stated. "I don’t want to experience something that I wasn’t there for."

He enters the season as a non-champion on a team filled with players who have experienced that success. He is also tasked with filling the void left by Mitchell Robinson, the former longest-tenured Knick who departed in free agency.

Despite his decision to forgo the ceremony, Drummond quickly made his presence felt on the court. He was a standout performer for the Knicks, recording 12 points, 14 rebounds (seven offensive), and four assists against his former team, the 76ers. He achieved a double-double in the first half with 10 points and 12 rebounds, a feat he did not accomplish in any single half during the previous season.

The Madison Square Garden crowd responded positively to his performance, with "An-dre Drumm-ond" chants echoing through the arena. "It was pretty surreal," Drummond commented. "Just the energy of the arena, just because of how hard I was working, how hard I was playing, just to hear it, I can’t even really explain it. I got chills."

Drummond played 16 minutes in the first half, significantly more than Karl-Anthony Towns, who encountered early foul trouble. Coach Mike Brown noted Drummond's strong first-half effort, but acknowledged that the extended minutes may have contributed to a dip in production in the second half.

"I thought he played with a lot of bounce, energy, in the first half on both ends of the floor," Brown said. "We probably ran him too long because it looked like in the second half, not just him but especially our five starters, it looked like he ran out of a little bit of gas."

Brown indicated that the team is still in a feeling-out process to determine the optimal usage and integration of Drummond into the team's strategy. Drummond's skill set offers a different dimension compared to his predecessor. While similar to Robinson in rebounding prowess, Drummond is considered more of an offensive threat with the ball in his hands, though not as strong a rim protector or help defender.

Drummond, a native of Mount Vernon, expressed feeling at home with his new team. "This is a great team," he said. "Great core group. They’ve done a great job of incorporating me into the group and making me feel like I’m one of them."