CHICAGO (670 The Score) – Throughout his two seasons with the Bulls, Andre Drummond has been open about his belief that he’s a starting-caliber NBA center, even as he fills the backup role in Chicago.
In his first start as a Bull, Drummond sure made his case Tuesday evening.
With starting center Nikola Vucevic sidelined by an adductor contusion, Drummond posted 24 points and 25 rebounds to help lead the Bulls to a 118-113 win against the Hawks at the United Center. It was Drummond’s 45th career 20-20 game and his first since Jan. 31, 2021, when he was a member of the Cavaliers. His 25 rebounds were the most by a Bulls player since Ben Wallace had 27 rebounds on Dec. 15, 2006, according to Bulls PR.
Afterward, Drummond celebrated by giving his mother a hug in the stands, calling her his “biggest supporter.”
“She’s always telling me I can do it – whenever my number is called, be ready,” Drummond said.
“You can’t take this game for granted. You never know when your last time on the court (will be). I really just respect the game, respect every opportunity I get.”
Entering Tuesday, Drummond was averaging 6.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in 12.9 minutes across his first 98 games with the Bulls. Because of Vucevic’s durability, Drummond hadn’t started a game or had a significant role.
That changed after an MRI on Tuesday confirmed a groin strain for Vucevic, whose status moving forward remains unclear. Asked if staying positive and ready as a reserve is difficult, Drummond responded, “It’s not hard at all – being a good teammate is easy, it’s not hard to support your teammates.”
It’s that attitude that has endeared Drummond to his teammates.
“Amazing, amazing,” forward DeMar DeRozan said of Drummond. “First of all, he’s the ultimate pro. Second of all, it’s nothing new. My time in Toronto, I’ve seen that countless times when he was in Detroit. He was an All-Star for those exact reasons, what you saw tonight – one of the best rebounds the game has seen. So it’s not surprising. It was just fun to be able to be a part of it, witness it and help him show what he can do.”
Of Drummond’s 25 rebounds, 10 were offensive rebounds. Of those 10 offensive rebounds, six of them were immediately converted into putback layups or tip-ins, which helped keep the Bulls offense afloat on a night it had a few rough stretches.
Drummond’s monster performance became even more rare with a few extra qualifiers added. With three steals and two blocks to go with his 24 points and 25 rebounds, Drummond became just the sixth player in NBA history to reach those statistical thresholds in a game, according to Bulls PR and Basketball Reference. The others were Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, Chris Webber, Roy Tarpley and Dwight Howard.
Drummond is 45th in NBA history in total rebounds and third among active players, trailing only LeBron James and DeAndre Jordan.
“I just want it more,” Drummond said of his rebounding prowess. “I go after each and every one of them. If I can’t get it, I still make the attempt. Sometimes it falls my way, and sometimes they don’t. But the more times I go, the more times I’ll get it.
“It’s just a knack that I have. It’s not a matter of luck. It’s a skill. It’s a skill. It’s an art. For me, it’s something that I pride myself on … It gets me going.”
While Drummond was the headliner for most of the night, DeRozan starred down the stretch. He had 11 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter, including a nifty step-through finger roll layup that gave the Bulls a 115-111 lead with 25.6 seconds left and effectively served as the dagger.
The Bulls improved to 14-18 with the victory and have won four of their past five games as star guard Zach LaVine has remained sidelined since late November due to a foot injury. Reserve guard Ayo Dosunmu also added 19 points off the bench and made a handful of key shots.
“Everybody stepped up, just coming together,” DeRozan said.
Cody Westerlund is an editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.