The New York Knicks should expect more of the same from backup center Precious Achiuwa in the 2024-25 NBA season.
Achiuwa was a saving grace for the Knicks down the back half of the 2023-24 campaign. Mitchell Robinson going down with a leg injury that deprived him of 51 games on the year, and Jericho Sims falling out of favor in Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation necessitated Achiuwa to step up behind stand-in starting center Isaiah Hartenstein. Achiuwa did just that last season.
After getting traded to New York on Dec. 30, 2023, the 6-8 big man did not have much room to increase the 7.7 points per game he was giving the Toronto Raptors for the Knicks prior to the deal. Jalen Brunson was coming into his own as a league MVP candidate, and Donte DiVincenzo and Miles McBride were getting comfortable in their elevated roles in coach Thibodeau’s scheme.
Nevertheless, Achiuwa did exactly what the Knicks needed from him upon putting the orange and blue on post-trade. He noticeably increased his rebounding, shot-blocking, and connectivity rate from the field per game as follows:
Raptors: 5.4 RPG, 0.5 BPG, 45.9 FG pct, 17.5 minutes per game.
Knicks: 7.2 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 52.5 FG pct, 24.2 minutes per game.
Knicks need Precious Achiuwa to play his game on both ends in 2024-25
Achiuwa does not fall into the same category that Hartenstein did last season. When Robinson got hurt for an extended period of time, it was widely reported that Hartenstein was asked to mirror the former’s game by putting his playmaking and finesse to the side in favor of setting imposing screens, crashing the boards, and protecting the rim.
Achiuwa came in behind the German-American center by offering the Knicks both of those play styles. The Nigerian five man had seven double-doubles after joining the Knicks. He scored 15 or more points in five of those seven games, dished out three or more assists in four of those seven contests, and sent back multiple blocks in three of them.
All in all, Achiuwa was an interior presence who could finish around the rim, clean the glass as an undersized center, and showcase his mobility as a versatile offensive weapon for his teammates to kick to when given the opportunity.
What the Knicks need more of from Achiuwa next season
Next season will be different for the 24-year-old than the season prior. Achiuwa will be the primary backup behind Robinson and with the way the latter’s career has gone, there’s a great chance he could miss a significant chunk of the 2024-25 slate. Thus, Achiuwa will need to be on standby to shoulder a greater load.
Additionally, the Knicks addressed their backup power forward shortage by adding Chuma Okeke and Keita Bates-Diop this offseason. However, neither have shown a lengthy track record of steady production with their previous franchises and will look to have career years in New York, especially in the case of Okeke. Therefore, Achiuwa will also be looked at as an option to spell for All-Star Julius Randle off the bench at the position.
That being said, the Knicks will need Achiuwa to wear two hats in 2024-25. As the backup center, New York will need him to run in transition and produce at the pace that his guards and combo wing playmakers– Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, Miles McBride, and Cameron Payne — will play on a nightly basis.
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The Knicks will also require Achiuwa to do the dirty work when his minutes coincide with the starters and not look for his own offense as much with a lineup featuring four scorers in All-Star Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Randle who will all be fighting for looks. Achiuwa will likely be the third player off of the Knicks’ bench next time out, and in many cases, the first if Robinson picks up two early fouls in any given game.
Seeing that the four-year veteran has the ability to do many things on the floor, all will come in handy for the Knicks when the situation calls for them. If he can be a rock-solid pick-and-roll partner for Brunson, that will be the biggest factor in him earning the most amount of minutes he can get next time out while positioning the team to score as best as they can in their franchise player’s favored play type.
Achiuwa will likely give the Knicks exactly what he gave them and the Raptors in 2023-24, considering that his stat line for both teams was in the same ball park despite their being nearly a seven-minute discrepancy in playing time.
