Seven minutes is no way for the Knicks to judge Andre Drummond

October 2026 Knicks regular-season games, not a new signing announcement. Oct 25, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Andre Drummond (0) drives past Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) in the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectMike Brown has already answered the immediate question at backup center. Andre Drummond will get that assignment against Detroit on Tuesday, SNY’s Ian Begley reported. The Knicks now need to make the evaluation more useful than the one they staged Sunday.I’d give Drummond a coherent stretch of backup minutes before changing the arrangement again. Competition is reasonable. Dividing a short appearance into matching seven-minute trials makes it much harder to learn whether either center can support the second unit.In the 111-102 loss to Orlando, Drummond and James Wiseman each played 7:09. Drummond scored four points on 2-for-3 shooting, with three rebounds, two assists and no turnovers. Wiseman went 0-for-5, with two rebounds and a block.Those lines favor Drummond for that night. They don’t establish that Wiseman has failed an entire season’s worth of opportunities. A reserve can miss a couple of attempts and have a seven-minute box score look awful before he has settled into the game.What the Knicks need from their backup centerThere is a longer Drummond appearance available for comparison. On opening night against Philadelphia, he supplied 14 rebounds and four assists in 24:27. His 12 points came on 5-for-13 shooting, so that wasn’t an unqualified offensive success either.October 2026 Knicks regular-season games, not a new signing announcement. Oct 20, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Andre Drummond (0) grabs a rebound against the Philadelphia 76ers during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectThe two games show why the job deserves a specific test. Can Drummond finish defensive possessions with rebounds, give the guards a dependable screen and make the straightforward pass without becoming a target at the other end? Those are more useful standards for his next few appearances than asking him to avoid every mistake in a brief stint.Brown has been clear that the bench jobs remain competitive. His Tuesday decision doesn’t amount to a permanent guarantee, and Drummond shouldn’t need one to get a fair opportunity.0What do you think?Post a comment.Wiseman should remain an alternative if his mobility and defensive work fit a matchup better. The same applies if Drummond repeatedly fails the assignments the Knicks need from him. Keeping a stable trial period shouldn’t turn into protecting a veteran from evidence that somebody else is more effective.New York is 0-3, which makes every rotation choice feel urgent. It also makes reacting to every short stint tempting. Tuesday’s announced role is a sensible place to start; a few games with clear responsibilities would tell the Knicks more than another immediate reshuffle based on a handful of shots.Related HeadlinesKnicks should crowd Franz Wagner with Banchero sidelinedSix threes won’t solve the Knicks’ new point-guard concernKnicks can’t waste 18 possessions and expect a different endingRead more at Empire Sports Media