Andre Drummond the best offensive rebounder ever? The numbers say yes

Andre Drummond entered the NBA history books Tuesday night when he secured his 1,000th offensive rebound of his young career.

Nobody has done it at a younger age or in fewer games than young Drummond, who was able to achieve the feat at age 21 and in just 215 contests. Shaquille O'Neal and Elton Brand crossed the 1,000-board threshold at 22 in 245 and 231 games, respectively.

To call this rare company would be an understatement. Since 1985-86, when basketball-reference is able to accurately chart offensive rebounds, only 14 players have gotten to 1,000 offensive rebounds in their first four seasons in the NBA. And Drummond did it in roughly 1,600 fewer minutes than anyone else.

And if you think it's just because Drummond plays with a bunch of prolific brick artists then you're only half right. Yes, his teammates miss a lot of shots. But Drummond's offensive rebounding percentage of 17.3 is the best all-time for players who averaged at least 25 minutes per game. The two qualified players below Drummond on that list are no slouches -- Dennis Rodman and Moses Malone.

There is, of course, a giant asterisk that must be placed on this feat as basketball-reference only has reliable offensive rebounding game log data beginning in 1985.

Drummond has secured 10 offensive boards in a single game 11 times. Since Drummond entered the league nobody else has achieved that feat more than five times (Zach Randolph).

So, yes, it's essentially Drummond and everybody else.

With such a singular talent in an area so important, you can understand why head coach Stan Van Gundy must be salivating at the idea of a four-out, one-in offense with Andre Drummond controlling the paint. A four-out offense is normally a rebounding liability, but Drummond Hoovers up so many misses that he gives his team a lot of second-chance opportunities.

This doesn't mean, however, that the seemingly on-his-way out Greg Monroe wouldn't fit into the system, as he too is one of the better offensive rebounders of the past several years.

Good job, young fella.

A tip of the cap to DBBer ghost of Dumars who previously covered Drummond's historic rebounding prowess.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story had some less refined rebounding data, but the post is now updated with more accurate numbers.