Andre Drummond Benched Without Explanation

Andre Drummond found himself on the bench during a recent game, and he mentioned that no one explained the decision to him. “I can only control what I can control. There’s really nothing I can do about not playing,” the center said. “So I’ll just cheer for my teammates and hope for the best.”

During the second quarter, Drummond was seen jogging back on defense when he got passed by Orlando center Wendell Carter Jr., which led to an easy layup for the Magic in their 111-102 victory on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

After that play, Coach Brown called a timeout and decided to take Drummond out for the remainder of the game. The backup center position was then filled by James Wiseman, who had a rough outing, struggling with an 0-for-5 shooting performance.

Drummond expressed uncertainty about why he was taken out—“You can guess for me,” he said—but indicated that he probably wouldn’t receive an explanation. The 33-year-old, who joined the team over the summer to fill the gap left by Mitchell Robinson, had also played limited minutes in a previous loss against the Celtics.

Regarding future games, Coach Brown confirmed that Drummond would remain the primary backup for their matchup against the Pistons. “I felt like our transition defense struggled during that stretch, which wasn’t solely on [Drummond]. I wanted to make a change,” Brown explained. He added that Wiseman had been performing well in practice and deserved another chance, noting Wiseman’s decent performance earlier in the game.

Before the loss on Sunday, Brown had mentioned that all the backup positions were open for competition. “I want to be clear about our starting five, but other than that, anyone can get a shot at playing time,” he stated. He reiterated that the competition among backups is intense, indicating that playing time isn’t guaranteed for anyone outside the starting lineup.

In other news, Jose Alvarado missed the game due to an ankle sprain, and Tyler Kolek stepped in for him, managing nine assists but failing to score in his 15 minutes on the court.

The evening took a troubling turn when Jalen Suggs, the Magic’s starting point guard, appeared to suffer a severe knee injury while driving to the basket. His leg buckled, causing him to fall to the ground in pain as his teammates gathered around him.