Precious Achiuwa An Unsung Hero For New York Knicks

For someone considered a throw-in, Achiuwa has proven to be much more than that. He has stepped up big time with the injuries crushing the Knicks’ frontcourt depth, doing whatever it is that Tom Thibodeau needs from him.

Of course, Achiuwa isn’t the perfect player. He struggles at times with the ball in his hands, as shown in this clip from Knicks Film School from Monday’s game against the Houston Rockets. With teams blitzing Jalen Brunson, opponents are forcing other players to make plays and are sometimes coming up short.

But, the positives have been outweighing the negatives greatly for Achiuwa. Turnovers have been an issue at times, as shown above, but he makes up for it. With teams essentially ignoring him during some possessions, it enables him to get into position to crash the offensive glass.

Achiuwa has fit right in when it comes to offensive rebounding, rebounding 11.6 percent of the team’s misses on offense, which is a career-high. He uses his screen-setting ability to his advantage, creating mismatches under the rim for easy put-backs.

Defensively is where Achiuwa has really shined. His lack of size does hurt when he is playing the center position. He is racking up blocks, but he isn’t as intimidating at the rim as Hartenstein, Robinson or even Jericho Sims. Opponents are shooting 62 percent against him at the rim and Aaron Holiday made three straight shots near the basket around him.

Thibodeau’s drop scheme is exploitable when Achiuwa is the man dropping and protecting the rim. But, there are some real positives to him on the defensive end. He has excellent footwork and the athleticism to stick with smaller players on the perimeter.

Whether it was in a post-up against Alperen Sengun or getting switched onto Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr., Achiuwa got the job done. His versatility on defense has been key to helping the Knicks stay afloat with their injuries.

Throughout the marathon NBA regular season, teams need players to step up at different times. It took a little while for Achiuwa to find his way with the Knicks, but he has come up big with so many key players missing time in the frontcourt.

When healthy, Achiuwa won’t be in the starting lineup and will see his minutes decrease with the second unit. But, his defensive versatility is a weapon Thibodeau will be able to deploy at different times, as he provides the team with a legitimate backup 4 and someone who can play the 5 in a pinch.