How much will change from Mitchell Robinson to Andre Drummond affect Knicks’ championship hopes?

After winning a championship for the first time in 53 years, the Knicks kept much of their roster intact for the 2026-27 NBA season. The only big change from the offseason could have ramifications for the team’s hopes of producing similar results.

The Knicks let center Mitchell Robinson walk in free agency. Robinson signed a three-year, $47.4 million deal with the Atlantic Division rival Boston Celtics.

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To shore up the backup five spot, New York signed veteran center Andre Drummond to a one-year, $3.9 million contract. A two-time All-Star, Drummond has been a productive player for much of his 14-year NBA career.

At 33 years old, Drummond is a downgrade from Robinson, but he can be an important contributor off the bench. Some of Drummond’s best skills blend well with New York’s philosophy. Robinson was arguably the best offensive rebounder in the NBA. Drummond is not exactly on that level, but it is a strength. Of players who played in at least 40 games last season, Drummond was fifth in offensive rebound rate, grabbing 14.5 percent of available offensive boards.

Creating extra opportunities has been a key part of New York’s strategy to win games. The Knicks finished seventh in offensive rebound rate during the regular season, and third in the playoffs. Listed at 279 pounds, Drummond is also a very good screener for his teammates. He led all players in screen assist points per 36 minutes during the playoffs.

Drummond has added the three-point shot to his skill set. After knocking down just 23 trifectas in his first 13 seasons, the big man made 32-of-90 treys (35.6 percent) last season. However, virtually all of those shots were wide open. Per NBA Stats, in 89 of those 90 three-point attempts, the closest defender to Drummond was 4 feet or more away.

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If teams are willingly conceding that corner three to Drummond, it will gum up the paint, limiting driving lanes for New York’s other players. Knicks head coach Mike Brown would likely prefer having Drummond in the paint to cause havoc on the offensive glass, rather than standing idle in the corners.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/much-change-mitchell-robinson-andre-115507486.html

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Publish date : 2026-08-17 11:55:00

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