Andre Drummond agreed to come back to the Chicago Bulls for another season.
It made sense, as he had made 67 appearances for Billy Donovan’s team in his first year in the Windy City, all while averaging 12.7 minutes per game.
That’s why it’s kind of mind-boggling to see that he’s not happy with his role anymore.
Talking to Bulls insider K.C. Johnson, Drummond claimed that in his mind, he’s not meant to be a backup center (via Legion Hoops).
“My mentality is I’m not a backup,” Drummond said.
Andre Drummond:
“My mentality is I’m not a backup.”
(via @KCJHoop) pic.twitter.com/VVF5XvvvOc
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) December 27, 2023
Ironically, Drummond hasn’t been a starter since 2020-21, and the fact that he joined the Bulls to be a backup speaks volumes about teams not wanting him to start.
He agreed to come back to the team knowing that Nikola Vucevic was still under contract and despite making a grand total of zero starts in his first year with the organization.
He’s not getting any younger, and while he’s still one of the best rebounders in the league, he doesn’t bring a lot more to the game right now.
Drummond spent most of his career playing for bad Detroit Pistons teams and logging empty numbers.
He’s a good, serviceable backup big man who could have a big game every now and then, and not much more, especially at this point in his career.
And when the Bulls think of their valuable trade assets, his name might not be among the first five players to be mentioned, even if other contending teams could still make the most of his rebounding skills.
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