In the NBA, old dogs can still learn new tricks. Andre Drummond is a perfect example of this, as the newly signed New York Knicks veteran has steadily improved his shooting package over the past several seasons.
The once offensively inept pivot has seen his free-throw success rate rise to right around 60.0 percent since 2017-18 (major progress from the 38.1 percent clip he boasted before) and just registered a career-high long-range shooting percentage in year 14 of his pro career at 35.6 percent.
To Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson, these progressions in Drummond's game are a clear sign that hard work off the court can pay off on it.
Of course, while this is certainly an exciting revelation regarding New York's new backup big, it begs the question of what prevented former pivot Mitchell Robinson from doing the same during his tenure in the Big Apple.
It's not as if Mitch would shy away from working on areas of his game he severely struggled with. In fact, the annual summer clips of him supposedly working on his jumper, free-throw mechanics, and overall offensive game were truly Ben Simmons-esque.
Unfortunately, as these Simmons videos have become famous for, and as Knicks fans are well aware, Robinson's showcased progress never led to new developments once the regular season came underway.
Fortunately, the same can't be said about Drummond's offseason work, and New York is hoping to take full advantage of this in 2026-27.
Andre Drummond has a clear mission heading into debut Knicks season
Clearly, Drummond is someone who's trying to find ways to improve himself on the court. Of course, this isn't limited solely to the advancement of the weaker skill sets he possesses.
Heading into his debut season with the Knicks, he's eyeing an improvement in his all-time status.
After last week's preseason bout against the Washington Wizards, Drummond spoke candidly about his elite rebounding abilities and made it a point to note that he has a clear mission for 2026-27: to finally surpass the great Dennis Rodman on the league's total rebounds list.
With his 27-ranked 11,513 rebounds for his career, Drummond trails the 24-ranked Rodman by just 441.
Considering he pulled down a total of 532 boards just a season ago, and averages 976 total rebounds per season for his entire career, it seems safe to assume that, come year's end, the 33-year-old will have surpassed the Hall of Famer and cemented himself as a top-25 rebounder in NBA history.
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