Cleveland Cavaliers big man Andre Drummond saw some familiar sights as he played his former team in the Detroit Pistons for their second game of the season. He admitted that he became emotional especially in the pre-game proceedings but eventually went down to handle the business right after.
“Overwhelming amount of feelings rushed through my body,” Drummond said via Cleveland.com. “Just being back in this building again, but on the other side, it was a lot of memories that just rushed through my head, hearing my name again in this arena. After that, the moment was over. Came out in the starting lineup, got ready to play and we came out with a great win.”
Drummond was selected by the team with the ninth overall pick back in the 2012 NBA Draft and became a mainstay on the team afterward. He spent a total of eight seasons in Motor City where he snagged two All-Star appearances and three NBA rebounding leader awards.
After the Pistons sought to head a different direction, Drummond was traded to the Cavaliers in exchange for Brandon Knight, John Henson, and a 2023 draft pick midway through last season.
Now that he is starting his 2020-2021 campaign with the Cavaliers, Drummond seemed to have already formed a budding chemistry with his new teammates. In his second game with the team this season, the big man went to work against the Pistons where he racked up a monster all-around performance with 23 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, four steals, and three blocks through 43 minutes played.
Drummond also got a lift from the solid outings of Collin Sexton who finished with 32 points and Darius Garland who contributed 21 points and 12 assists of his own. After getting entangled with the Pistons all throughout the encounter, the new-look Cavaliers eventually ran away with a 128-119 victory in double overtime.
The Cleveland-based squad now improved to a 2-0 record and will gun for their third-straight victory as they host the Philadelphia 76ers on Dec. 27.