The New York Knicks have a backup center problem, significantly lacking depth behind starter Mitchell Robinson. With the preseason approximately two weeks away, the team figures to solve the problem internally rather than make a late offseason trade.
The Knicks cannot rely on the inexperienced Jericho Sims this season
Jericho Sims could be a candidate to take over at the backup center position. In 138 career games, Sims averages 2.6 points and four rebounds per game, and has made 32 starts in his three-year career thus far.
However, the Knicks shouldn’t rely on an inexperienced project center to fill in an area that has a massive void in it. Sims has done a serviceable job when tasked with filling in for injured players like he has with Robinson over the past two seasons, and while he is a mobile defender who can guard multiple positions, he still struggles with certain intangibles that make him hard to play for long stretches.
His lack of offensive creativity is another flaw in his game. Though Robinson is mostly just a lob threat scoring-wise himself, he excels at grabbing offensive rebounds and making plays on the glass, which makes him super important to the team’s offense as a whole by giving them plenty of second-chance opportunities. Sims, on the other hand, is not as imposing on the glass on either end of the floor and is unwilling to be involved in the offense (1.6 shot attempts per game for his career).
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The Knicks seem reluctant to use Sims heavily this season
The Knicks already seem reluctant to use Sims as a viable option this season, evidenced by the re-signing of Precious Achiuwa over the offseason and head coach Tom Thibodeau indicating that Julius Randle could see time at the center position this season. Therefore, Sims’ future with the team is unclear.
The 25-year-old is set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer, and the Knicks could move on from the big man if they decide that he is not fit to be the long-term solution at the backup center position. There is also a possibility that he gets traded along with some draft capital for a backup center the Knicks feel more comfortable playing. They have been rumored to pursue guys like Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz and Nick Richards of the Charlotte Hornets.
Regardless, the Knicks will hope that they will not have to rely heavily on Sims to give them a high amount of minutes at the five this upcoming season. Worst case scenario, if Robinson or Achiuwa were to go down with an injury and Sims would have to get playing time, the hope would be that he can outperform expectations and provide steady and quality play.
