The Sixers’ frontcourt is in flux. For Andre Drummond and Adem Bona, that means ‘taking care of the team’ when Joel Embiid sits.

When Jalen Duren first became a Detroit Piston, he reached out to Andre Drummond. The quest for advice from this particular source was understandable, given that Drummond spent his first seven-plus NBA seasons with Detroit and blossomed into a two-time All-Star and one of the best rebounders of all time.

“He reminds me of myself,” Drummond said of Duren.

Sunday night, Drummond and Duren battled each other during a 111-108 down-to-the-wire Pistons victory at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Duren, who was born in Sharon Hill and spent two high school seasons at Roman Catholic, amassed 21 points and 16 rebounds to continue his terrific play during the Pistons’ 8-2 start. Drummond countered with a season-high 17 points and 12 rebounds in his first start of the season for the 76ers, a decision coach Nick Nurse said was matchup-based. It also was evidence that, 10 games into the season, the Sixers’ frontcourt remains a bit in flux, based on injuries and performance.

“It’s always something we’re looking at,” Nurse said earlier this week. “More than anything, I’m trying to put the guys on the floor that best can help us — period. And if that moves around a little bit, it moves around. And it probably will move around again. … Riding the guys who are playing well. Ride the better matchups. All that kind of stuff.”

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A smirking Nurse acknowledged during his pregame news conference that starting Drummond against Detroit was under “consideration.” Adem Bona held that role in the three previous scheduled absences for Joel Embiid, as part of the former MVP’s cautious return from an ongoing knee issue. Drummond, though, said he did not realize he would be part of Sunday’s first group until the layup line minutes before tipoff, because he normally goes back to the locker room for his pregame routine.

Drummond and Bona have needed to practice the “stay ready” cliche throughout the early season. And both players have enjoyed unexpected impact stretches.

Drummond totaled seven points and 13 rebounds in 16 consecutive minutes to close an Oct. 25 victory at Charlotte. Three nights later, Bona had five blocks and the game-winning putback in an overtime win at the Washington Wizards. Wednesday night at the Cleveland Cavaliers, Bona started with Embiid out on the second night of a back-to-back, but Drummond’s 13 points and 13 rebounds fueled multiple Sixers rallies before falling, 132-121.

“It’s just understanding what the game plan and the style of play is going to look like without Jo on the floor,” Bona said after Saturday’s shootaround.

Against the Pistons, Drummond was primarily matched up with the sturdy 6-foot-10, 250-pound Duren, and Bona with the bouncier former Sixer Paul Reed.

Duren quickly amassed eight points on 4-of-5 shooting and six rebounds in the first quarter, while sometimes going right at Drummond in the paint. Yet Drummond’s defense also helped corral Detroit All-Star point guard Cade Cunningham before halftime, by jetting out to the perimeter to force the ball out of Cunningham’s hands. Drummond later opened the third quarter with an alley-oop finish, and converted a cutting dunk off a feed from Trendon Watford to give the Sixers a 72-66 lead. With about three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Drummond spiked a block on a Ron Holland Jr. attempt to keep the Sixers within three points.

The 6-11 Drummond, who entering Sunday had made 20 total three-pointers during his 14-year NBA career, also connected on two corner deep shots. He then took another that would have tied the game with less than three minutes remaining, which outsiders may have called ill-advised but that Nurse did not discourage.

“He’s certainly made those a little more consistently this year,” Nurse said. “And taken them in pretty good rhythm, which I think can help us in the long run. So I’m not going to fault him for that.”

Added Drummond: “I think it would have really changed the game if I made it. But it’s a shot that I take, and I’ll do it again.”

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Though the 32-year-old Drummond is no longer the interior force who donned a Pistons jersey, he is certainly better equipped to help the Sixers now than during a disappointing 2024-25 season plagued by a lingering turf toe injury. Bona, meanwhile, finished Sunday with two points, four rebounds, and three blocks in 12 minutes. It was a continuation of his inconsistent-at-best play, following an impressive training camp and preseason.

“I kind of struggled a little bit,” Bona said coming off that Cleveland loss. “But I went back and watched film of things I needed to do on the defensive end and the offensive end.”

There is plenty more for Nurse to decipher in the Sixers’ frontcourt.

Paul George, who could be nearing his season debut after offseason knee surgery, is likely to be slotted into the starting power forward spot. That position is currently occupied by Watford, who in Saturday’s win over the Toronto Raptors compiled his first-career triple-double. Dominick Barlow also was an early surprise as a forward and small-ball center, but has been sidelined for more than two weeks with an elbow laceration that required surgery and brace-like protection to keep his arm from bending.

And Sunday night, Jabari Walker provided 12 points and five rebounds in a much-needed first-half burst. He said he felt comfortable crashing for rebounds from the corner or “dunker” spot under the basket, so “even when I didn’t get [the ball], I was banging guys underneath and my teammates got it.” And after missing all seven of his three-point attempts to begin the season, he knocked down two in the first half and caused the Sixers’ bench to erupt.

“I can’t say I’ve always been hunting [the shot],” Walker said. “But today, my mindset was, ‘If I’m open, I’m shooting it.’ Good energy attracts good results. … In my mind, I’m still hot. So next time I get it, [I’m] letting it go.”

At center, Drummond and Bona have typically been in the rotation even when Embiid is available to play, because of a minutes restriction that has increased from 20 to 26 during the season’s first two-plus weeks. Nurse acknowledged Saturday that he is still tinkering with how to best distribute those minutes. Embiid could start each quarter and allow them to deplete quicker, the coach said. Or, Nurse could save a couple of minutes at the end of each period, for the bonus or crunch time.

“It’s a little tricky,” Nurse said. “ … We’ll see what happens next time.”

Whenever Embiid rests for a game, however, Drummond knows he and Bona need “to take care of the team.” Sunday night, their roles flipped because of the center matchup.

And it pitted Drummond against Duren, the current Pistons big man with local ties who once asked Drummond for advice.

“The sky’s the limit for him,” Drummond said of Duren. “He’s very, very good, skilled, and has a bright future ahead of him.”