The New York Knicks got a glimpse of what valued backup center Jericho Sims can do for their shorthanded frontcourt in their season-opening 132-109 loss to the Boston Celtics, and it’s safe to say he’s fallen into the good graces of his coaching staff once again.
Sims was a silver lining on a Knicks team that struggled to match up with or stymie the defending champion Celtics on Tuesday night. The Texas product corraled nine rebounds in 24 minutes of action and rejected a team-high two blocks off of the Knicks’ bench.
Jericho Sims made Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau look good in season opener
Per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post, prior to the game, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau raved about the work that his talented young center put in during the preseason and how he expects it to continually translate on the court after getting off to a good start to the regular season:
“His rebounding was off the charts, which was huge for us. … That’s elite. So bring rebounding, bring defense, bring athleticism, put the pressure on the rim, set great screens. And oftentimes, there’s not stats that are reflected in that, other than you’re helping the team function well. He has the ability, because of his athleticism, to play very well. So you play the ball, stay below the roller, get back, make a decision in the restricted — those are things that are hard to measure but because of his athleticism, it’s what he’s good at.”
Knicks: Sims has shown the potential to blossom as a strong interior presence
Sims made good on his coach’s appraisal and then some against Boston. The 6-10 big man played up to his size. New York will need much rim protection from their five men, especially with Mitchell Robinson out for the rest of 2024. It is to be expected that coach Thibodeau will experiment with a two-big lineup featuring starting center Karl-Anthony Towns and either Sims or Precious Achiuwa throughout the year. Such a mold got off to a rocky start but ended up working to near perfection with Towns and four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert in Minnesota last season.
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Given Towns’ exceptional shooting and playmaking for his size, Sims can be that rim-running, glass-cleaning interior defender that complements his All-Star teammate and helps the Knicks’ pick-and-roll run smoothly. Sims did his job in the first game of the year, and at the least, if his rebounding and shot-blocking persist, he’ll entrench himself in the Knicks’ lineup again after briefly being sidelined in 2023-24. Should the 26-year-old assert himself as an offensive threat around the rim, he could see his awaited breakout campaign come to fruition.
