New York Knicks: Precious Achiuwa has exceeded expectations

As the New York Knicks head into the NBA All-Star Break, they have had strong play of late from Precious Achiuwa.

The New York Knicks have had a great first half of the season, as they have found themselves as a top-4 team in the Eastern Conference and look like a title contender. While the team overall has had a lot of success, they have also had a lot of challenges so far.

One of the main challenges of late has been the amount of injuries the team has been dealing with. Shortly after the blockbuster trade with the Toronto Raptors, the Knicks got hit hard by the injury bug and have been frequently playing with only eight or nine dressed players.

The injuries have certainly caught up to them of late, but with people being out, it has also created opportunities for others to shine.

One of the players who has stepped up in his increased role is Achiuwa. Achiuwa was one of the pieces the Knicks brought in with OG Anunoby. The versatile big man figured to provide some depth in the front court for the Knicks, but especially with the injury to Julius Randle, Achiwua has found himself playing major minutes.

In the last 10 games, Achiuwa has averaged 39.7 minutes, 12.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. With the increased role, Achiuwa’s numbers are obviously up across the board, as he is proving to be a more than serviceable backup for Randle.

While his minutes will surely decrease when Randle comes back, Achiuwa is looking like a player who can and should contribute meaningful minutes for the Knicks in the playoffs. When the deal was made for Anunoby, Achiuwa likely wasn’t thought to be more than a body for the Knicks off the bench. However, he looks like much more than that.

As the Knicks hopefully continue to get healthy in the second half of the season, Achiuwa will have to adjust to a new role on the team. Luckily for them, he could be instant energy off the bench for them.