After Wednesday’s shootaround in preparation for the Chicago Bulls’ home contest versus the Indiana Pacers, Andre Drummond called himself “the best rebounder of the past century.”
And statistically speaking, he may not be wrong.
Since 2000-01, Drummond’s average of 13.2 rebounds per game is well ahead of runner-up Dwight Howard’s 11.8. And if Drummond even meant past this recent turn of the century, his rebounding percentage of 24.68 is the all-time best over runner-up and Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman’s 23.44.
“You have the best rebounder of the past century on your team, I take rebounding seriously. And I know that’s something this team lacked in,” Drummond said in response to a question about limiting opponents’ second-chance points. “And I think our team now, we’re tough... Going after every rebound is something I bring to this team. And I think it’s showing.”
It is indeed.
It’s early. And Drummond is playing a career-low 15.4 minutes per game. But his per-36 minutes rebounding average is a career-best 20.1. Though he has yet to play more than 18 minutes, 1 second in a game, Drummond already has two double-digit rebounding nights.
“It means I’m doing something right,” Drummond said. “I’m making the best out of my minutes.”
Though overall the Bulls sit roughly middle of the pack in rebounding percentage, tied for 16th with the Memphis Grizzlies at 49.9, Drummond’s approach not only is helping give the second unit he centers an identity, it’s pushing Nikola Vučević, no slouch in the rebounding department himself.
“I played against him a lot over the years. It’s great competition when you go against a guy who has been playing so long and has been an All-Star. It makes you better,” Vučević said. “I think through camp and all our practices, we’ve had good battles when we’re scrimmaged and done different drills. It has helped us both of us.
“It’s for sure a battle. He’s definitely a load down there on the boards. I use my quickness. He definitely has a big size advantage, even over more. It makes me have to work extra hard to keep him off. It’s fun to battle and go at each other.”
At 10.4 rebounds per game, Vučević owns the 13th best average since 2000-01.
“It’s fun. I think we make each other better each day,” Drummond said. “With his talent and everything we’ve done in our careers to battle against each other, to be on the same team as him now, I get to really appreciate the stuff that he does.”
But Drummond insists the practice battles could be even more intense.
“I think there’s a sense of ‘it’s not worth fighting for’ in practice. We have bigger things to worry about. There have bene times I let him go and vice versa. I’m not going to hurt my teammate in practice,” Drummond said. “We play hard obviously but as far as those next-level plays that we’re really good at doing, we don’t do that to each other. We need both of us to make this team work.”
Zach LaVine said on Tuesday that the Bulls’ second unit has kicked the starters’ butts in some scrimmages. Drummond declared early in camp that he still views himself as a starter.
“I think that’s what makes this team very good. We both know we’re very good players and that brings the next level out of us,” Drummond said of pushing Vučević. “With our second unit, it’s pretty much a starting lineup.”
And it features perhaps the best rebounder of the century.
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