Doc Rivers praises Andre Drummond, whom he still regrets trading in the Ben Simmons deal: ‘He’s just a good guy’
Rivers and Drummond also share a person connection. Adam Jones, who Drummond refers to as a big brother, was legally adopted by Doc Rivers and became part of his family.
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Former Sixers coach Doc Rivers didn’t need a crystal ball to make a bold prediction ahead of Wednesday night’s season opener at the Wells Fargo Center.
It wasn’t even his nearly 40 years of NBA experience that helped Rivers, now in his first full season leading the Milwaukee Bucks, guarantee an outcome against the Sixers.
It was his personal connection to Sixers center Andre Drummond.
“You know, he thinks he’s a great passer,” Rivers said during a pregame press conference. “You know, he’s going to throw a back cut pass today; 100% guaranteed. Hopefully it doesn’t get through. Otherwise he’ll stare at me.”
Rivers coached Drummond in Philly after the 6-foot-10 center from Middletown, Conn., was signed in 2021.
The pair, however, were previously acquainted. Rivers legally adopted Adam Jones just before Jones became a high school teammate of Drummond’s. Jones and Drummond first met playing against each other at the Walt Disney World sports complex in Florida.
Jones had been an AAU teammate of Austin Rivers, Doc’s son. Rivers became Jones’ legal guardians after Jones’ uncle, who needed a kidney transplant, no longer could provide stability at home.
Drummond played at St. Thomas More, a private school in rural Connecticut with a rich basketball tradition. A few weeks after that fateful Florida meeting, and with a suggestion from Drummond and his mother, Jones also enrolled at St. Thomas More.
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Now, Drummond refers to Jones as “the big brother I never had.”
So, keep an eye tonight on Drummond, who will start at center in place of Joel Embiid, whom the Sixers say will miss the first three games of the season as he rests his left knee. Of all the roster changes that occurred during Rivers’ time in Philly, he said losing Drummond to Brooklyn in 2022 as part of the Ben Simmons-James Harden deal bothered him most.
“He’s just a good guy in the locker room,” Rivers said of the four-time NBA rebounding champion. “The stars are the stars, but you love when all the other role players around are just good people, easy to coach. Nice. No drama, and Drum does all that.
“He also rebounds extremely well. … But he’s just a good presence. I talk to him in the summers. He’s just a good guy. He’s a guy that you want on your team. He’s a guy you want in your locker room.”