After a 15-2 run from January 1 to February 1, a rash of injuries has caught up with the Knicks, who have lost five of their last six games as they enter the All-Star break.
With OG Anunoby (elbow), Julius Randle (shoulder), and Mitchell Robinson (ankle surgery) all sidelined, and Isaiah Hartenstein missing the past three games with a sore Achilles, the Knicks have been heavily reliant on forward/center Precious Achiuwa, and the fourth-year forward/center has responded well.
Over the last eight games, all starts, the 24-year-old big man has averaged 14.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.6 blocks in 41.6 minutes. Over the last two games, Achiuwa has grabbed an impressive 19 offensive rebounds, according to Botte.
“I mentioned earlier what Isaiah has shown us, and then Precious coming in,” said head coach Tom Thibodeau following Wednesday’s road defeat to the Magic. “Obviously, we liked [Achiuwa], which is why we traded for him. But he has shown us a lot. And it’s given us more versatility; we now have a size 4. He is proficient at playing both the 4 and the 5. So that’s a huge benefit for us.”
Achiuwa, who was acquired from Toronto in the transaction that sent Anunoby to New York, will be a restricted free agency this summer if the Knicks extend him a qualifying offer, which is likely given his recent performance.
Thibodeau hopes to have many players back from injury after the All-Star break, according to Botte’s piece in The New York Post. Donte DiVincenzo (hamstring), trade deadline acquisition Bojan Bogdanovic (calf), and Hartenstein all missed Wednesday’s game, but they could return next Thursday against Philadelphia. “I believe we’ve had a wonderful second-third of the season. “We’ve put ourselves in a position where we’ve done well, but we still have a lot of room for improvement,” All-Star guard Jalen Brunson stated. “So I think this respite is definitely beneficial to us. We are the walking wounded right now. But I am quite pleased with what we have accomplished. So just reset and be ready to go next week.”
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