Anyone who still uses the expression 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks' has clearly never met Andre Drummond. The former Los Angeles Lakers center added an important new wrinkle to his game this season. It is one that should extend his career in its latter stages.
For the entirety of Drummond's career, the former top-10 pick of the 2012 NBA Draft has a percentage of 18.9 from beyond the arc. That number would undoubtedly be lower, too, without factoring in what the Philadelphia 76ers center has done in 2025-26.
Drummond is shooting 37.8 percent on his attempts from deep this season. Granted, that only involves taking 1.3 of those 3-point shots per game. Even so, the latter number is a career high. As is the success rate from downtown (in a campaign with a min. of 0.1 attempts per game).
Drummond has shown that any player willing to do the work can absolutely reap the rewards of that labor. The veteran center will hit the free agent market in the summer of 2026. When he does, there should still be a spot waiting for him on an NBA roster.
Andre Drummond’s new 3-point game will extend his NBA career
The appeal of Drummond as a player is clear for anyone. The 32-year-old is one of the best rebounders of his generation.
When adjusting his career numbers for the per-36 averages, Drummond has posted 16.3 rebounds per game throughout his 14 seasons in the NBA. That includes a whopping 5.6 offensive rebounds per game as well.
If you're a team who wants to ensure board dominance, Drummond is definitely your guy. The lowest per-36 averages of his career in the rebounding category is 13.2.
It's easy to wash out of the NBA if you're only good at one thing. Drummond's willingness to add to his offensive arsenal only gives further justification as to why any team should want to keep him around.
Drummond is averaging 7.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks in 20.0 minutes per game for the 76ers this season. The vet is shooting 50.3 percent from the field in the process.
This is a man the 76ers were willing to part with during the offseason. Jake Fischer mentioned Drummond and Kelly Oubre Jr. as two potential trade candidates in early September.
Fischer said, "There has been buzz all summer long about the Sixers looking to potentially move one of, if not both, Andre Drummond and Kelly Oubre."
If Drummond heard the rumors and responded accordingly by evolving his game, all the more credit to him. The 14-year veteran has not turned into a center resembling Brook Lopez's Splash Mountain days. However, he's doing enough to warrant continued looks in the final years of his career.