Andre Drummond Talks Draft, UConn, His Work Ethic, His Mom

Andre Drummond met with the media today for a half-hour to discuss tomorrow night's draft, as well as a lot of other things: his time at UConn, why he decided to leave after one year, rumors that he has a poor work ethic and his mom, who left her job as a nurse at Middlesex Hospital two days ago and will move out with her son wherever he ends up.

Here's some of what Drummond had to say (Jeremy Lamb, by the way, was a no-show):

(on his workouts and everything leading up to the draft)

“It’s a lot of joy and excitement. I’m excited to be here, and I can’t wait for tomorrow to come around.”

(what NBA players have given him advice, and what have they told him)

"Rudy Gay, Ray Allen, Kevin Durant. They've all said pretty much the same thing: 'Once you get drafted, don't stop working hard. You haven't really done anything yet. Just give it your all every single day, work hard, and you'll be fine.'"

Drummond has worked out for Portland, Sacramento, Cleveland, Charlotte and Washington. He went head-to-head, fullcourt, with Thomas Robinson at Charlotte.

“(Charlotte) was probably one of the best two workouts I’ve ever had. I told Thomas (Robinson) before the workout, ‘I’m here to work, not to B.S. I’m trying to get something done here.’ He looked at me like, ‘Alright, let’s try to make each other better.’”

He said he's hearing he could go anywhere from No. 2 to No. 7 in the draft, but doesn't put any stock into what people are saying in the media. 

“I’ve never read anything in the media since I was in high school … I never read what people say about me. Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion. Whether people say good tihjings or bawd things, I just stay away from it.”

(on rumors that his work ethic and 'motor' are concerns to NBA teams)

“Hearing stuff like that, I don’t get upset about it. Nobody knows what I’m capable of doing. They just saw what they saw this year … everybody changes from year to year. They had the same doubts about Dwight Howard, and look where he is now.”

“Whatever team I go to, all that talk is going to be put to rest, because I am a hard worker, there’s nothing wrong with my motor.”

(how he'll be able to help a team as a rookie)

“Coming in, I feel like I’ll run the floor well, gravb rebounds, block shots and let the offense come to me. I’m not going to stress too much on offense, because that’s one of the things I’m working on. I’ve worked real hard on my offensive game. But right now, defense is the strongest part of my game.”

Drummond said he's lost 22 pounds since the end of the season, putting him around 275.

"I feel great, quicker laterally, moving quicker on my feet.”

He also said that his mom will move out with him to wherever he goes and live with him in his house, at least until he gets his second contract. At that point, he hopes to be able to buy her a house.

“She’s been my biggest supporter. She definitely needs to relax now.”

 But, he added with a smile: “Her work isn’t over. She’s going to be my manager, so she’s got a lot of work to do. It feels great to be able to give back to her after she helped me out so much.”

Drummond said that, throughout the spring, he'd come down to New York to work on his game, particularly his offensive skills set and his free throw shooting.

(on his one season at UConn)


“Connecticut's like a big family. I love Connecticut with all my heart. The fans there are amazing, my teammates are amazing, coaching staff is great, but the fans are really amazing."

(did UConn's postseason ban hasten his departure for the NBA)

“I think I was going to leave regardless of the tournament or not. This is an opportunity that doesn’t ocme up too many times. It’s an opportulnity I needed to take, and move forward with my life.”