CAMDEN, N.J. — In order for the Philadelphia 76ers to truly contend in the 2025-26 season, they will need Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey to get healthy. That much is obvious. However, there also needs to be a standard of play for them moving forward. An identity they can bank on no matter who is on the floor for them.
Andre Drummond, a key piece of this team’s bench unit, was one of the numerous Sixers who was bitten by the injury bug as he was limited to only 40 games due to a bothersome toe injury. As he returned to the team’s facility in Camden, NJ before media day and training camp, he found the Sixers were playing some rough and tough basketball as they look to set that standard of play.
“I was, I think, two days late to our preseason camp,” Drummond began. “And when I got back here, we’d been playing pickup with no fouls. So I learned the hard way coming back. I think the intensity and toughness are being built right now. I think it’s going to surprise a lot of teams, just the way that we play now. Obviously, it’s not something I want to share, but I think our new style of play is going to be very good for our team.”
Drummond is not one to shy away from contact. A burly big man, he can use his size and strength to be able to overpower many big men who stand in his way so the Sixers getting back to work and playing a physical brand of ball is something he welcomed. Especially, when considering nobody was calling fouls.
Although, nobody warned Drummond about the whole no fouls thing.
“I didn’t ask, and I still need to ask whose idea that was,” Drummond laughed. “Nobody texted me about that. I would’ve come in with a different mindset. I’m thinking we’re just going through plays, trying to catch a rhythm, and I’m getting my ass beat out there. I’m like, ‘Damn, is anyone calling any fouls?’ There’s no whistles, we’re just playing.”
With that being said, that’s something the Sixers need. To get tougher. Nobody’s saying they need to play with the spirit of the Bad Boy Pistons from the ’80s, but the Sixers need to play with that tough guy attitude that should define their season as they look to bounce back from a miserable 2024-25 season.
“So for me, I love that kind of stuff,” Drummond finished. “It took me a day to adjust, but for me to see certain guys on our team play that way, I’m like, ‘Yeah, this is what we needed right here.’ We needed this type of game, this type of atmosphere. It gets messy. Seeing Jared (McCain) go down (with a thumb injury), that’s obviously not the best thing to happen, but it’s a part of the game when you play tough.”
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Andre Drummond looking to help Sixers set new standard of toughness
