The New York Knicks may have dropped their season opener to the visiting 76ers 106-100, but, in the process, they proved they're more than capable of dominating an area of the game previously spearheaded by Mitchell Robinson.
Throughout his eight seasons in the Big Apple, Robinson helped the Knicks become one of the most effective rebounding teams in the association, particularly on the offensive end. Last season, in particular, they placed sixth in offensive boards with 12.7 pulled down per game.
These rebounds directly influenced their efficiency in the second-chance scoring department, as they scored a whopping 16.3 points in such situations during their title-winning campaign.
With the loss of Robinson and his fifth-most offensive boards in the association (252), some feared the Knicks could see their production slip in this area of play in 2026-27. However, early returns seem mightily encouraging, as they not only outperformed Philadelphia in second-chance points, but absolutely dominated them to the tune of 28-7.
Without question, his direct positional replacement, Andre Drummond, played a major role in keeping their activity humming on this front.
Andre Drummond proved his worth immediately in Knicks debut
Last year, the two-headed monster at the pivot position for the Knicks was Karl-Anthony Towns and Robinson. Since the latter signed with the Celtics in free agency this offseason, it's now turned into a one-two punch of Towns and Andre Drummond.
Right from the jump, it appears this new duo is proving to be just as effective.
In Tuesday's opener, the two combined for a whopping 31 points and 26 rebounds, 10 of which came on the offensive glass.
While KAT performing as well as he did in the stat sheet has merely become common practice with the Knicks, Drummond's debut was certainly something to take note of.
The veteran had his hands in virtually every facet of the contest against his former employers, as he got involved in the passing game, on the defensive front, and, as has become his trademark skill, in the rebounding department.
Individually, Drummond registered an impressive all-around stat line of 12 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and one steal in 24 minutes of action.
Now, while some may be a bit thrown by the big man's visible fatigue toward the end of the contest, it must be remembered that he wasn't brought on to play from start to finish -- that's Towns' job.
Moving forward, the hope is that KAT can find a way to stay out of foul trouble and allow Drummond to serve as a support player rather than a crunch time replacement.
Of course, should he be forced to continue playing such a role, Drummond is confident he'll be more "prepared" when called upon going forward.
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