Andre Drummond on a minimum contract is a fine addition to the New York Knicks following Mitchell Robinson’s expected, albeit no less meaningful, exit in free agency. But we know now the soon-to-be 33-year-old wasn’t the team’s first or even second choice.
If the Knicks had their way, Karl-Anthony Towns’ primary backup would be younger, more mobile, and a better screen-and-roll threat than Drummond.
This much was revealed in two stages. First, NBA insider Chris Haynes reported that New York was once again rebuffed by the New Orleans Pelican in its attempt to trade for Yves Missi. Second, and more tellingly, the Knicks were monitoring the availability of Moussa Diabate in Charlotte before settling on Drummond, according to Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line.
None of which makes New York’s latest addition a bad one. Drummond is worth a minimum flier, as someone who can replace some of Robinson’s offensive rebounding and, potentially, add a floor-spacing element from the corners.
Still, while all three bigs are different, the Knicks’ newest center represents a pivot from the front office’s primary focus,
The Knicks have a different vision for Karl-Anthony Towns’ backup
Diabate is the most aggressive target of the three centers mentioned. And frankly, he is one the Knicks should still be pursuing.
Between him and Missi, though, New York clearly has designs on using a solid offensive rebounder with more defensive mobility to spell Towns. That tracks with what the best version of Robinson can do—and often did.
Granted, Missi doesn’t check this box to perfection. He isn’t the cleanest finisher around the basket, or the most reliable or physical option when working in the pick-and-roll.
Like Diabate, however, he is under the age of 25 and has a better chance defending outside more than just traditional drop coverages. Both do a better job than Drummond of limiting their fouls and holding their own when guarding away from the basket—and have the foul rates in those situations to prove it.
In Diabate’s case, he ranked in the 80th percentile of rim contests per 100 possessions last season, despite spending more time guarding non-bigs than Drummond. Missi doesn’t cover that kind of ground, despite spending more time on non-bigs than Diabate and Drummond. But he's a smoother operator around the basket.
New Orleans’ big man placed in the 84th percentile of rim points saved per 100 possessions last year. So even if you don’t want to use him in more aggressive coverages or against more dynamic bigs, he is the sturdier traditional option than Drummond, who has finished higher than the 47th percentile in rim points saved per 100 possessions just once since entering the league.
Don’t be surprised if and when the Knicks look to upgrade from Drummond
Getting by with Drummond backing up Towns is a reasonable gambit for the regular season. The Knicks still need to add a third big, or commit to more OG Anunoby-at-center lineups. On balance, though, they will be fine so long as KAT remains healthy.
The playoffs are a different beast. Certain bigs devolve into unplayable. Drummond is one of them. Heck, given how much Mike Brown worried about opposing teams using Hack-A strategies, Robinson is one of them, too.
Fortunately for New York, Towns has now proven he is the mother of all exceptions, the closest thing to a Victor Wembanyama foil the league knows. But he can’t play 48 minutes per game.
The Knicks need another postseason-proof big behind him, someone who is at least as playable as Robinson was during the height of his free-throw struggles. The odds of Drummond being the answer, wire-to-wire, aren’t especially high.
Judging from the Knicks’ trade pursuits before signing him, they know it, too.
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