When discussing the art of rebounding, some of the league's best say it has much to do with tenacity and determination. Others say it takes skill and a thorough understanding of hoop physics. However, if you ask big man Andre Drummond , who is considered one of the best rebounders the league has ever seen in the past decade, he will tell you that for people like him, it's a God-given talent.
A knack for the ball
In a conversation with former NBA player Theo Pinson on the "Run Your Race" podcast, the two-time All-Star shared that since he began playing the game, he always had this uncanny ability to track down the loose ball as it drove off the rim.
"It's always been like this, like since I was young, I've always had a knack for it, but I didn't understand the talent I had for it until I got to the NBA," Drummond shared .
Of course, it helped that he was the tallest and had the biggest body on the floor. However, he would later realize that having a large physique was only part of the equation.
"Yeah, I feel like I was just bigger than everybody else. That's why I would get a lot of rebounds. So I never really processed, you know, how good I was at it till later on," Dre continued. "And when I noticed, when I started like watching guys shoot, would know how their misses would come off, yeah, so that's when I knew. I was like, 'Alright, I have a different outlook of what rebounding is.'"
Related: Wemby is surprised by the lack of effort some NBA stars put into improving their game: "They don't seem like they put as much work as I thought."
One of the most prolific rebounders in the game
While Drummond showed flashes of his rebounding prowess during his rookie season, he didn't really get a chance to showcase the depth of his abilities until his sophomore season. Playing 32 minutes a game compared to the 20 during his rookie year, Andre hauled down 13.2 rebounds a game. He then led the league in rebounding in four of the next five seasons.
While having a knack for crashing boards helped, the former UConn Husky bolstered his ability by studying shooters and meticulously analyzing where their balls ended up when they missed shots.
"Like what I do is, after practice, I'll sit down and watch our shooters. So, like I watch our guards, I watch, you know, our fours, and I'll watch our threes, and I watch the way they shoot, and I'll see how their misses come off," Drummond revealed.
"So when I'm playing with them when they shoot a certain shot, like I know what kind of miss is coming off the rim, so I already have one step ahead of the guy I'm blocking out. So now it's just getting in position, right? So if you watch me, like I'm always looking up or looking at who's shooting, yeah, and I start moving around," the 6-foot-11 veteran disclosed.
Now back in Philadelphia after a few seasons in Chicago, Drummond will play a huge role for the Sixers, serving as the team's backup to ace center Joel Embiid. However, with "The Process" not playing in back-to-back games, Dre could see some extended minutes on certain nights, and his inside presence could be a major factor for the Eastern Conference heavyweights.
Related: “I’ve put my hands on my teammates before” - Andre Drummond admitted elbowing his teammate for stealing his rebounds
Local News
