Losing Mitchell Robinson was a brutal blow for the New York Knicks. Their center rotation took a major hit. Although Karl-Anthony Towns is still one of the best big men in the league, the Knicks’ depth isn’t ideal. They signed Andre Drummond in free agency, and taking a look around the league, he may have been the best Robinson replacement available to New York.
Obviously, Robinson is a great defender, but he may be best known for his offensive rebounding. That’s something Drummond can definitely bring to the table in New York. Even though he’s entering the final stages of his career, he’s still one of the best offensive rebounders in the NBA. He can help replace the offensive rebounding help Robinson brought to the table.
Drummond won’t help as much on defense. He won’t be as impactful in other areas. But on the offensive glass? There was nobody better for the Knicks to target.
Andre Drummond can help replace Mitchell Robinson's rebounding
Robinson’s impact on the offensive end is best defined by his ability to crash the glass. He has a real case at being the best offensive rebounder in NBA history, let alone just right now.
This past year, he rebounded 21.2% of the Knicks’ misses when he was on the court. That was the best mark in the NBA by a pretty wide margin. An elite mark.
In his limited minutes – as the Knicks attempted to manage his minutes throughout the season – Robinson still managed to pull down 4.2 offensive rebounds per contest.
Drummond’s impact on the offensive glass was similar last season. He only played 19.5 minutes per game (compared to Robinson’s 19.6), but he still grabbed 3.2 offensive rebounds per game.
That ranked sixth in the NBA, compared to Robinson, who finished second. As for his percentage of misses rebounded? He grabbed 14.8% of his team’s misses. That ranked in the 93rd percentile (Robinson ranked in the 100th percentile).
Again, Drummond isn’t going to be able to replicate what Robinson can do on the defensive end. They aren’t anywhere close to the same player on that end of the floor.
However, when it comes to offensive rebounding, the Knicks would have been hard-pressed to find a better guy to replace Robinson than Drummond.
Is Robinson a better offensive rebounder? Absolutely. But can Drummond help fill that void? Definitely. Heading into next season, that will be a very helpful tool to have on board.
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