The New York Knicks could be getting back their top backup big man soon, as Precious Achiuwa is reportedly making progress in his rehab from a hamstring strain, though he still has a ways to go before he returns to the court, per The New York Post’s Stefan Bondy.
“He’s making good, steady progress,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said about Achiuwa per The New York Post’s Stefan Bondy. “But he hasn’t actually gone through a real practice yet.”
The Knicks have been badly missing Precious Achiuwa to start the season
Achiuwa suffered the injury in the final game of the preseason, with the initial prognosis being a two-to-four-week recovery. In the meantime, the team is incredibly thin in the frontcourt off the bench behind Karl-Anthony Towns, with Jericho Sims serving as the primary backup center.
The Knicks have had to rely on Towns to play more minutes than they would probably like him to at the start of the season. The All-Star is also dealing with an ailment of his own, as he was originally questionable for Friday’s game against the Detroit Pistons with a left wrist sprain.
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Achiuwa’s return will be massive for the Knicks’ depth
New York would like to have Achiuwa back as soon as possible to give their second unit more depth. As of now, Thibodeau has opted to run an eight-man rotation as opposed to elevating a rookie into the rotation, which has worked well so far but is likely unsustainable.
The Knicks signed Achiuwa to a one-year, $6 million deal in the offseason after bringing a lot of success after coming over in the same trade that brought OG Anunoby to New York. Last season, the big man averaged 7.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in 49 games following the trade.
It is unclear if Achiuwa’s return would officially give them a nine-man rotation to operate with or if Sims would return to the bench and not receive much playing time. Regardless, the Knicks are hopeful he can return to the court soon and provide a positive impact in the second unit.
