Breaking Down and Grading the Knicks' Andre Drummond Signing

Dec 19, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) controls the ball against Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond (1) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Many teams have spent the offseason trying to answer some big questions. For the Knicks, the most pressing quandary has been who will be backing up Karl-Anthony Towns come opening night.

On Friday night, New York finally landed one solution to this predicament, inking free agent center Andre Drummondto a one-year, $3.9 million contract. The former ninth overall pick in the 2012 draft has played for six teams and is a veteran who's name is known by most NBA fans. But how will the journeyman fit in with the Knicks?

Andre Drummond's rebounding is best trait he brings to Knicks

When most people think of Drummond, the first thing that comes to mind is rebounding. And rightfully so. In his 14-year career, he's averaged 11.9 rpg (4.1 being offensive) despite coming off the bench in 29% of his 967 games.

He's still 99th percentile in rebounding, and 96th percentile in offensive rebounding. He was also behind just Mitchell Robinson and Donovan Clingan in offensive rebounds per-36 minutes last season.

Additionally, Drummond provides the Knicks with good screening. Of the many things that Robinson does at a high level, his strong screening was one of the things the team might have missed the most. The Mount Vernon-native should be able to alleviate some of that.

He doesn't have the gravity that Robinson does, but his large frame and strong scree-setting fundamentals should be something that Jalen Brunson and Jose Alvarado should be able to utilize.

There is a reason that Drummond lacks the gravity that Robinson does, though. He's a shockingly dreadful finisher. Despite being both big and relatively athletic, Drummond has struggled to finish around the rim.

Last season, he averaged 0.81points per possession as the roll man in pick-and-roll situations, which ranked 234th in the league. For comparison, Robinson finished the season second in the league at 1.7 PPP. He also finished the season 255th in PPP on put backs with just 0.85 PPP.

Drummond offers other qualities to make up for declining defense

That's not the only area where Robinson will be missed. Drummond is a serviceable defender. He does have size and under the right circumstances, he can hold his own. But he's a declining defender.

Robinson finished the regular season with a defensive rating of 109.9, while Drummond finished with 113.6. The latter hasn't had a season with a defensive rating under 110 since the 2019-2020 season.

We saw signs of that when the Knicks played the 76ers in the second round of this past season's playoffs. Whenever Drummond came on to the floor, the Knicks went at him early and often. And when they did, it often lead to successful results.

Karl-Anthony Towns was able to pretty much get whatever he wanted against the reserve big man. Jalen Brunson, whenever he got the rare switch, had similar success. Thankfully, most teams don't have a duo like Brunson and Towns.

Drummond won't be a defensive force. But there's reason to believe that he can hold up defensively. At all times, he'll be sharing the floor with some combination of Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Alvarado, McBride, and Shamet.

New York will inevitably miss Robinson's defense. That goes for both on the perimeter as a switch-capable big, and at the rim. But Drummond will provide the Knicks with the one thing they likely looked for most in a backup center: offensive rebounding.

Drummond has a strong argument to be the best offensive rebounder in the world not named Mitchell Robinson. He'll give the Knicks many second chance shots, much like his predecessor did.

His passing and decision-making can be inconsistent, and at times, frustrating. But he does have some experience as a secondary hub playing under Stan Van Gundy in Detroit. New York will be smart to not depend on him much there, but he can surprise fans with a few nice plays occasionally.

The same can be said for his shooting. His 35.6% three-point percentage is exponentially more reliable than Robinson's non-existent shooting. But the Knicks shouldn't rely on or look for him as a shooter often if they can help it.

Grading Knicks' Andre Drummond signing

Overall, this is a B signing. It could've been worse. But it certainly could've been better.

Drummond should be good enough during the regular season for a team as talented and as deep as the Knicks. But if the Knicks want to make another championship run, they'll continue looking for other options via training camp invitees and next year's trade deadline as some have already reported.