Andre Drummond Discusses Ben Simmons' Philly Reunion

This past offseason, veteran big man Andre Drummond hit the free agency market after a short stint with the Los Angeles Lakers. Considering the way he bounced around to three different teams over the last couple of years, a one-year, prove-it deal was best for Drummond in the summer.

The Philadelphia 76ers inked Drummond to a team-friendly one-year contract with hopes he could become Joel Embiid's most reliable backup. For nearly 50 games, that was the case. But Drummond eventually became a chip in Philadelphia's blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets.

The veteran big man joined Seth Curry and the disgruntled All-Star Ben Simmons in moving to Brooklyn from Philly. Now, Curry and Drummond will take the court on Thursday night to face the Sixers in South Philly for the first time since the trade, while Simmons is expected to be on the team's bench.

“I think tonight's gonna be a playoff-like atmosphere," said Drummond on Thursday morning. "We just got to play our best game, you know, we can't let the crowd get into our head. It's gonna be a crazy night but we're here to win.”

A Nets-Sixers matchup would've created a hostile environment in South Philly regardless since it's a matchup between two Eastern Conference contenders. However, considering it's the first time Simmons will show his face at the Wells Fargo Center this season, the environment is expected to be even crazier. 

Drummond Weighs In on Simmons' Reunion

Andre Drummond has yet to share the court with Simmons. Although they were both employed by the Sixers and the Nets this year, Simmons held out from the 76ers for 50-plus games and is not yet cleared to return to action with Brooklyn. 

Regardless of whether they played together yet or not, Drummond and Simmons are still teammates. While Drummond made it clear he hasn't attempted to get involved with the Simmons saga when it was taking place in Philadelphia, the veteran big man believes that the star guard is in a better place and isn't worried about the crowd leading up to Thursday's game.

“Ben is shooting jump shots right now so I don't think he's really worried about what's to come," said Drummond. "At the end of the day, this is a kid’s sport. Fans are involved in games and they have their feelings towards players. Obviously, what he did obviously is none of my business, I wasn't there for it, but he's my teammate now and he seems to be in a good space.”

Throughout his career, Drummond has played against the Sixers at the Wells Fargo Center many times, so he's well aware of how the situation might play out for his teammate on Thursday night. However, the veteran center makes it clear that's something neither he nor Simmons can control.

"I just know I got 48 minutes to play," he finished. "What the fans do, that's completely on them. How they want to conduct themselves and how they want to represent themselves, it's completely on them. I can't control that. I just have to be out there and play a game."

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.