The decision by the New York Knicks to replace Mitchell Robinson with Andre Drummond this summer was widely praised.
Though the club may be taking a slight step back in the athleticism and defensive department with Drummond's arrival, these two talents are generally believed to have similar play styles, which, in turn, should make the veteran's integration into the team's rotation reletively seamless.
Now, while most of the hype around Drummond's arrival in the Big Apple has stemmed from fans and pundits, at Monday's media day, Karl-Anthony Towns personally seems to have taken the excitement for his addition to a whole new level.
While speaking to reporters about Robinson's departure for Boston in free agency, the six-time All-Star quickly admitted that it "hurt" to see him go, though he would gradually spin his take on the matter into a praise-fest for Drummond, describing him as a player "I've respected a lot from afar" up to this point and even went as far as to call him "one of the best rebounders of our generation."
Yes, Drummond was someone the Knicks opted to scoop up after failing to reach a new deal with Robinson this offseason, which, technically, makes him Leon Rose and company's backup plan.
However, these words of admiration shared by someone of Towns' ilk aren't generally used to describe a mere consolation prize.
Knicks only further vindicated for Andre Drummond signing
Mitchell Robinson established himself as an otherworldly board-gobbler throughout his eight seasons with the Knicks, averaging 8.0 rebounds for his career and, last season, placing second in the league (minimum 60 games played) in offensive rebounds per game with 4.2.
His impact on this end of the floor was truly game-changing.
There's no better example of this being the case than his hard-fought rebound over Spurs wunderkind Victor Wembanyama off a missed Josh Hart free throw to secure a crucial last-second possession for the Knicks and, in turn, essentially secure their NBA Championship in Game 5 of this past year's Finals.
For the Knicks to even attempt to try and replace Robinson's heroic efforts in this area of the game, they'd need someone truly special to take his place.
Fortunately, it appears Towns believes they landed a player with exactly this kind of reputation in Drummond.
Throughout his soon-to-be 15-year career, the big man boasts averages of 11.9 rebounds, 4.1 of which coming on the offensive glass, per game.
To put his production into perspective, even last season, which objectively was Robinson's best season in New York, he pulled down less than two more boards than the older, less spry Drummond did per 100 possessions (22.2 compared to 20.9).
Now, projected to take over Mitch's role in the rotation, some are predicting Drummond could be in line to post an impressive per-36-minute stat line of 15 points and 15 rebounds, which, if this turns out to be the case, would be the fourth time in which he's accomplished such a feat.
This kind of productivity at a $3.8 million price tag? Clearly, the Knicks made the right call of taking a shot on Drummond as their replacement for Mitch.
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