Andre Drummond didn’t disappoint in the early minutes of his Knicks debut on ring night.
Against his former team, the backup center finished with a double-double in Tuesday’s 106-100 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden.
And he didn’t even need all of his 24 minutes played to record the double-double. He reached the mark in the first half after totaling 10 points, 12 rebounds (six offensive) by halftime.
The mark made the Mount Vernon native the first Knick in play-by-play era (since 1997-98) to record a first-half double-double in a Knicks debut. He also logged three assists and two blocks as the Knicks led, 58-54, at the half.
The 76ers, however, turned it around in the second half as Drummond’s impact dwindled in the eventual loss.
Drummond finished with 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting, 14 rebounds (seven offensive), four assists, one steal and two blocks.
76ers star Tyrese Maxey led the way with 28 points, four rebounds and five assists to spoil the defending champion’s banner night.
The Knicks began the 2026-27 season with a loss after receiving championship rings and raising a banner recognizing the franchise’s first NBA title in 53 years.
The organization also had a 2025 NBA Cup Champions banner already in the rafters when fans filled into the world’s most famous arena Tuesday evening. That banner, which the team wanted no parts of during the 2025-26 season, recognized an In-Season Tournament title following a win in the final round over the San Antonio Spurs last December.
And the Knicks defeated the same team in a five-game NBA Finals series last summer to end the team’s title drought.
It was after that point the Knicks signed Drummond to a one-year, $3.9 million deal to fill the void following Mitchell Robinson’s departure to the Boston Celtics on a three-year, $47.4 million deal in the offseason.
Robinson started, but only played 18 minutes in his Celtics debut after suffering a left ankle injury in the first half.
For Drummond, his new role after spending the past two seasons in Philadelphia involves backing up All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, who finished down the stretch for Mike Brown’s squad in the regular-season opener.