Appearing on The Comfortable Pod (YouTube link) with Marcus Bagley, Bulls center Andre Drummond was asked about the hiatus he took last season for mental health reasons and admitted that he has found it challenging to go from a franchise player in Detroit to a little-used reserve within the last few years.
While it sounds like the veteran big man has come to terms with his role in Chicago heading into 2023/24, the conversation led to a discussion about Drummond’s professional résumé and his place in NBA history. He was an All-Star in 2016 and 2018, made an All-NBA team in ’16, led the league in rebounds per game four times, is the NBA’s all-time leader in rebound percentage, and won a World Cup gold medal with Team USA in 2014.
“I used to play 40-plus minutes. I was a star — All-Star, All-NBA, I’ve done it. Hall of Fame candidate, best rebounder ever,” Drummond said (hat tip to NBC Sports). “… I’ve done great in my career. I think I have a chance to be a Hall of Fame player due to what I’ve done in my career. Actually, I’m pretty sure I’m in the top 20 for being in the Hall of Fame, so I have a great chance.”
Asked where he’d rank himself compared to other centers in NBA history, Drummond replied, “I’d give myself top 30, top 20. I don’t see why not. I’ve done amazing things in my career.”
Given that Drummond – who is still just 30 years old – averaged a career-low 12.7 minutes per game for the Bulls last season, it may seem outlandish on the surface to consider him a Hall of Fame candidate. But his claim that he’s the best rebounder the NBA has ever seen isn’t without merit.
Drummond has averaged 12.7 rebounds in 28.2 minutes per game across 785 career appearances. Dennis Rodman, widely considered the NBA’s greatest rebounder, averaged 13.1 in 31.7 minutes per night (911 games). The two men rank first and second in league history in rebound percentage, with Drummond (24.85%) comfortably ahead of Rodman (23.44%), for now.
Of course, while he has always excelled as a rebounder, Drummond hasn’t necessarily been elite in other areas of the game. He’s a solid scorer and defender around the basket, but has seen his role reduced in recent years because he doesn’t stretch the floor on offense and isn’t particularly switchable on defense. He also doesn’t have the sort of postseason accolades that bolster a Hall of Fame case — his teams have won just two games in four playoff appearances.
In an earlier era, when NBA teams were built around traditional centers, Drummond would have been in a better position to enjoy a Hall of Fame career. He could still have several more seasons ahead of him to continue building his résumé, but his case will be harder to make in the modern-day game.
I’ll admit that Drummond has a better chance then I do of making the basketball ball Hall of Fame, but only slightly.
His current HoF probability is 1.9%, according to Basketball Reference. Certainly a very, very long shot.
Hall of good but not fame
Crack is a bad thing.
Love the mind set
Still only 29
How is he still only 29? Do NBA players age slower than the rest of us?
I don’t consider him a HOFer but the NBA HOF is not that exclusive, he probably gets in on longevity. A ring would probably clinch it for him.
He’s been a great rebounder indeed, but for sure he’s not top-20 among all centers in NBA history… probably not even among his contemporaries.
Has an argument for greatest rebounder, some stats back that up. But no HoF – he’s below average in every other facet of the game. Rodman combined elite rebounding with elite on-call defense.
Hall of fame of what??? His high school?
Uh, no.
I think what stymied Drummond’s career was being ‘featured player’ for a while there in Detroit. The focus then, unfairly was on his limitations. Had he be part of a winning programme with other good players he would have be held in much higher regard, sitting in a tier above Steven Adams and Valanciunus etc.
Probably the wrong era, but that works both ways. Various players derided as ‘tweeners’ in the late 90s/early 00s would thrive in today’s league.
Lol
In the 80’s he would have been a perennial all star
HoF, no. But I feel like he has gotten the short end of the stick the last few seasons. I thought after the stint with the Nets he would stick somewhere but apparently not. Do people not like him or something? Seems like he could help good teams.
He can’t shoot, doesn’t have much of a post up game, turns the ball over too much for a big, isn’t a good rim protector nor can he can’t switch on D. He’s only good at rebounding.
Keep in mind his allstar and all nba appearances are due solely to the fact he played center during the time the position was at its weakest and a center had to be picked. He is one of the people actually responsible for the league changing the allstar game requirements from two forwards and a center to 3 forwards or centers.
He’s just talking smack.
He can do that if he feels like it.
Maybe he went to the wrong sports psychologist…
Or maybe this type of ego building confidence is what he needs to deal with his critics…
Not even an elite rebounder, let alone anywhere near the HOF. Stats show that he’s more of a poacher who doesn’t improve his team’s rebounding numbers, which is something the eye test backs up if you’re focused on him. On top of that, he’s not exactly a rim protector, and the BBIQ is lacking (not exactly shocking considering his comments). It’s hardly surprising why he has fallen out of favor in the league.
Yes, the era of basketball we live has hurt him more than it has hurt others. No question about that. And yet, the fact remains he’s more of a stats guy that teams have learned doesn’t impact winning nearly as much as the popcorn numbers would suggest.
Of course, he’s hardly the only guy like this in the league. He just had the unfortunate timing of a) the league transitioning to positionless basketball and the three-ball during his peak, b) advanced metrics playing a bigger role in front office decisions, finally waking some teams up to the fact of what players like him actually bring to the table.
I suspect a random drug test is on the way…
Drummond bro, you make Kanye, Kyrie & Courtney Love come across as completely reasonable.
That Drummond/Monroe combo was a deadly one-two punch for a few years there but…
Yo Drummond, you are not even as good as Mikan. He could still school you. You are not HOF because you rebounded well in Detroit
Horrible agent. Does he have Hasson Whitesides agent? Why did he pick up his option. He needs to alot more of he wants to get in the new Hof
In this new SBA not NBA, coaches, PFs, Cs, dribbling violations, defense, etc etc etc don’t mean anything. The SBA (not NBA or ABA) doesn’t like veterans sitting on the bench and now free throws. There are plenty of good coaches and old ones, but the SBA is to player friendly. The players own everything and dictate everything along dealing with some old guy saying stuff. LeBron and silver (along with everyone wanting to be Steph Curry out there) have ruined the NBA. Just rename it SBA and have LeBron be the logo because we know he will wine for it. 70s basketball was so much better than this. Watch me shoot and I’ll watch you shoot and then we hug after the game and count our money
It is nba, the easiest hof to make out of America’s main 3 sports. He still shouldn’t make it tho
I want to meet his dealer, because whatever he is smoking must be fantastic.
He’s the 3rd best rebounder in Piston’s history. The first and second are both in the HOF but there is no room for Drummond. He really doesn’t even belong in the Hall of Good.