Precious Achiuwa has only been back from injury for three games, but he is already flexing his defensive muscles off of the New York Knicks’ bench.
Knicks: Precious Achiuwa isn’t allowing anything on defense
Achiuwa returned from a hamstring ailment suffered in the preseason and made his 2024-25 season debut against the Charlotte Hornets on Dec. 5. Since re-entering the Knicks’ fold, the Nigerian center has recorded three blocks and one steal for New York. Moreover, his impact has been seen in how ineffective his opponents have been at scoring over him.
NBA Stats revealed the following, per Knicks Muse:
“Precious Achiuwa has held opponents to 8/26 FG as the primary defender in his first 3 games this season, per @nbastats,” Knicks Muse posted on X on Tuesday.
Achiuwa is giving the Knicks a much-needed defensive jolt
Limiting his opponents to under 33 percent shooting is an incredible achievement for Achiuwa. He has looked spry, agile, and aggressive on the court. He’s also exhibited good defensive timing.
The 25-year-old has gone against big men the likes of Nick Richards and Moussa Diabate (Hornets), Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart (Detroit Pistons), and Jakob Poeltl and Kelly Olynyk (Toronto Raptors). The Knicks have been in need of a defensive spark of late and Achiuwa has given them that. Being able to contain those bigs should give the Memphis product momentum that he’ll look to carry over into the Knicks’ next contest against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.
