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Andre Drummond Favored to Lead NBA in Rebounding for Fourth Consecutive Season in 2020-21

Eric Rosales

by Eric Rosales in NBA Basketball

Updated Dec 7, 2020 · 4:34 PM PST

Andre Drummond about to pass basketball
FILE - In this Feb. 12, 2020, file photo, Cleveland Cavaliers' Andre Drummond plays against the Atlanta Hawks in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Cleveland. Drummond has told the Cavaliers he will exercise his $28.7 million contract option and stay with them this season. Drummond was acquired by Cleveland in a surprising trade from Detroit in February. He had been expected for months to pick up the option. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)
  • Andre Drummond seeking fourth straight rebounding title and fifth in six years
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo and Hassan Whiteside were runners up last season
  • Find out below who we think is the best bet to win this award

If you think the NBA Championship chase only involves a handful of teams each year, you should see the battle for top rebounder.

Since the 1991-92 season, only 10 men have laid claim to the rebounding crown, while 11 teams have hoisted the Larry O’Brien trophy.

The current god of glass, Andre Drummond is favored to lead the league in rebounding for the fourth straight season, and the fifth time in six campaigns.

2021 NBA Rebounding Leader Odds

Player Team Odds
Andre Drummond Cleveland Cavaliers +135
Giannis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks +400
Rudy Gobert Utah Jazz +500
Hassan Whiteside Sacramento Kings +550
Domantas Sabonis Indiana Pacers +2000
Jonas Valanciunas Memphis Grizzlies +2000
Nikola Vucevic Orlando Magic +2000
Bam Adebayo Miami Heat +3000
Clint Capela Atlanta Hawks +3000
DeAndre Jordan Brooklyn Nets +3000
Karl Anthony-Towns Minnesota Timberwolves +3000
Tristan Thompson Boston Celtics +3000
DeAndre Ayton Phoenix Suns +4000
Anthony Davis Los Angeles Lakers +5000

*Odds from December 7

As the Cleveland Cavaliers try to build themselves up from the ashes, could Drummond’s success be one of the few franchise wins in 2021? Let’s have a look at the field and offer our best bet.

Andre The Giant

Drummond claimed his third-straight rebounding title in the ultra-weird 2020 campaign. Along with a career-high 17.7 points per game, he led the league with 15.2 boards a contest over 57 games.

Acquired by the Cavs via trade in February, he played in only eight games before COVID-19 shut down the season, and then ended it when the woeful Cleveland record took them out of the restart.

His rebounding numbers dipped in the small sample with his new team, with Drummond pulling down just 11.1 rebounds a game. But there should be two major factors to consider in his quest for a 4-peat. The first is Tristan Thompson took his 10.1 rebounds per game average to Boston, signing as a free agent with the Celtics.

It also feels it’s just a matter of time before Kevin Love — a one-time rebound champion — moves on to another locale. That would leave Drummond as the sole big man on campus, needing to contend with just Larry Nance Jr and JaVale McGee.

That might be the reason Drummond exercised his player option to rejoin Cleveland and pocket more than $28 million. He  will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. The 26-year-old will be looking to get paid, and putting up monster stats on a bad team isn’t a bad route to go.

While the traditional big man is fading, teams can always live with one non-shooter on the floor — assuming they carry a skill as dominant as Drummond’s.

Can Giannis Contend?

Back-to-back MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was second to Drummond a year ago, hauling in 13.6 boards a contest. It was the sixth straight year the Bucks’ big man has improved his rebounding total since posting 4.4 rebounds a game as a rookie in 2013-14.

There’s also reason to expect him to up those totals. Head coach Mike Budenholzer will likely try to give his superstar more minutes than the 30.4 he averaged in the regular season, after being criticized for admitting Antetokounmpo’s ceiling for playoff minutes would 35 or 36 minutes max as they got bounced by the Heat in Round 2.

The math is simple: more minutes should equal more production, but with so many other burdens to carry on both ends of the floor, and that massive gorilla of playoff expectations that’s yet to be met and a free agent decision still to come, a rebounding title is likely the last thing on his mind.

For Your Consideration

Two incumbents that are worthy wagers include Hassan Whiteside, the 2017 champion who bounced back after two down years in Miami to average 13.5 boards a contest for a Portland Trail Blazers team bereft of big men. Whiteside inked a 1-year deal with the Sacramento Kings, and is behind Richaun Holmes on the depth chart, but there’s definitely an opportunity to advance.

The other is Brooklyn Nets veteran DeAndre Jordan, who claimed back-to-back rebounding crowns with the Clippers in 2014 and 2015. If he has a resurgence in him, it will be this season, as so much of the attention will move to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

That should leave plenty of room for DJ to roam the paint on the offensive end while anchoring the defensive side. I know Jarrett Allen will get his fair share of boards, but should BK make a move, it’s likely their young big is part of any trade package.

The one real long shot worth considering is Suns center DeAndre Ayton. A suspension and injuries derailed his sophomore season, but he’s averaged better than 10 rebounds in each of his two campaigns.

With Chris Paul now in the desert, you know he’ll be in the ear of the young big. How he responds could be the difference between a hum-ho season or a breakthrough campaign.

What’s the Best Bet?

Chris Webber, Love and Whiteside are the only 1-and-doners to win the award since 1992. While I like Ayton to make the leap — definitely worth sprinkling a little wager on — the incumbents rule this division.

Jordan could find a renaissance season like Whiteside did, but it’s more likely the big man with the most on the line shines through, one of the few bright spots on a Cavaliers team that won’t win much in 2021.

The pick: Drummond (+135)

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