Without Joel Embiid, Andre Drummond and Adem Bona will man the middle to open Sixers’ postseason

BOSTON — Andre Drummond let the three-pointer fly from the right corner, erupting with his 76ers’ teammates and the home crowd when the ball splashed through the net.

It was a euphoric capper to the 76ers’ play-in tournament victory over the Orlando Magic, sending them to a first-round playoff series against the second-seeded Boston Celtics. And it’s a scenario that Drummond — the 32-year-old center who, before this season, had made only 18 three-pointers in his entire 13-year career — never would have envisioned when he first entered the NBA as a teenager.

“You live for those moments,” Drummond said postgame, “as a kid, in the backyard, counting down ‘3 … 2 … 1,’ and making it.”

It also was the end of a performance when Drummond (14 points, 10 rebounds) and fellow center Adem Bona (two points, three rebounds, three blocks) were impactful inside against Orlando’s size and physicality, prompting coach Nick Nurse to say “that was as good as they’ve kind of handled that position for some time.” They shared the center minutes because star Joel Embiid remains sidelined following an April 9 emergency appendectomy. The former NBA MVP has been ruled out for Sunday afternoon’s Game 1 in Boston, and it is unclear if he could return if the Sixers extend this into a long series.

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So for the foreseeable future, Drummond and Bona will man the middle. They have become accustomed to ever-changing roles — each player has started, come off the bench, and been completely squeezed out of the rotation throughout the season — and lauded for their professionalism while navigating those fluctuations.

Now they must carry Wednesday’s success into this series against the Celtics, in order to give the Sixers a chance to pull an upset.

“That’s kind of set up the stage for what is to come now,” Bona said following Saturday’s practice at TD Garden. “Sharing minutes with [Drummond] has been great for my development and experience. He’s been a huge support to me.”

Those centers will need to perform significantly better than the last time they faced the Celtics on March 1. In that game, Boston’s Neemias Queta recorded a career-high 27 points and 17 rebounds, including 10 of the Celtics’ 19 offensive boards that they parlayed into 30 second-chance points. Veteran Nikola Vučević, a trade-deadline acquisition, added 11 points and 12 rebounds that night. Boston teammates also tracked down a bevy of long rebounds off their 49 three-point attempts.

“It was frustrating for me,” Drummond said that night, “because I see them and I’m like, ‘[Expletive], I’m a little too close to the rim’ and it’s bouncing over my head. It’s one of those annoying games where you see it, and it’s just out of reach.

“It just felt like, everything we did, it just didn’t work.”

Significant responsibility again falls on Drummond, the former four-time NBA rebounding champion who said he has been focused on “[finding] a way to muck the game up” down the stretch of an inconsistent season.

Early on, Drummond looked poised for a resurgence after a toe injury derailed much of his 2024-25 season. But following a late-November knee injury, Drummond sometimes looked like a player at the end of a productive career headlined by two All-Star appearances.

Nurse eventually settled on a rotation that, when Embiid played, Drummond typically did not. He averaged 6.4 points and 8.4 rebounds in 63 games with 25 starts.

Yet Drummond also could be abruptly plopped into a game or receive a significant uptick in minutes when he thrived. That drew praise from All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey following a key late-March victory at the Charlotte Hornets, then again following Wednesday’s win over the Magic.

“Honestly, so proud of him,” Maxey said of Drummond. “He stayed ready.”

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Bona also flashed his energetic athleticism during Wednesday’s third quarter, when he sprung up for three blocks in three minutes of game action (and, at one point, “fell from the sky” to land hard on the court, teammate Kelly Oubre Jr. reminded on Saturday). That style has caused Bona to struggle with foul trouble throughout his first two NBA seasons but might not be as much of an issue when officials tend to let more physicality slide during the playoffs.

The key for Bona, according to Nurse? Consistency in running the floor and protecting the rim, rather than getting overly concerned about his still-developing offensive skills. He averaged 4.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 71 regular-season games.

“We need his 20 to 25 minutes to be that Bona,” Nurse said. “And we see that most of the time. But that needs to continue to tick upward and [in the] amount of games he’s able to provide that. That’s it.”

Added Bona: “I understand my ability. The coaching staff understands my ability. They’re not asking more than what I’m capable of. They just ask me to go out there and do what I do best. … I’ve got to be able to do it every single night.”

And though Drummond and Bona have been competing for playing time, their relationship has been the opposite of frosty. Drummond brought Bona along to individual workouts before their first training camp together last season. Whenever Embiid is on the floor during a game, they are talking on the bench.

“At the end of the day, it’s me,” said Drummond, whose mentees across the league include Queta. “I’m not here to stop anybody from being great. … I didn’t come here to sit on nobody’s bench. I want to play, so I’ll beat [Bona], and vice versa.

“He’s going to do the same, too. That’s what makes our team better.”

Their teammates also are now acquainted with Drummond’s and Bona’s shifting roles.

Forward Dominick Barlow said that, when Embiid is not available, the Sixers must be prepared for opposing defenses to pack the paint because they no longer need to double-team the big man. Guard VJ Edgecombe appreciates the way Drummond sets screens, along with Bona’s high motor that “you can’t teach … and that makes up for a lot.” Oubre said it has been “motivating” to watch how Drummond and Bona have handled themselves.

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The primary tactical difference between the two centers, Edgecombe added, is that Drummond will launch from beyond the arc.

Drummond never would have believed that assessment of his game when his NBA career began. But his deep shot Wednesday night helped catapult the Sixers into the playoffs.

Now, he and Bona must carry that momentum into this series against the Celtics, for however long Embiid remains sidelined.

“I’m not scared,” Drummond said. “I’m not worried. I know we’re prepared, and I’m going to give it our best shot.”

Rookie big man Johni Broome, who underwent meniscus surgery in late February, has been medically cleared and will be listed as available to play in Sunday’s Game 1 in Boston.