The ‘Precious’ factor that could help keep the Knicks in contention

Even though the New York Knicks limped into the All-Star break, the team has had a very successful last couple of months. On Dec. 31, they had a 17-15 record. Since then, they have gone 16-7.

Many have cited the trade to get OG Anunoby as the catalyst for the drastic turn of events. There’s no denying the fact that his addition has changed the dynamic of the team and has helped turn the squad into a defensive juggernaut.

Two other players came over from the Raptors in the Anunoby trade: Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn. At the time, both were widely considered throw-ins who would probably ride the bench. And Flynn was recently sent to Detroit.

Achiuwa, on the other hand, is proving that he’s no throw-in. While he played sparingly in his first few games, his minutes have steadily risen primarily due to injuries to Julius Randle and Isaiah Hartenstein. In the nine games Randle has missed, Achiuwa has averaged almost 14 points and more than 10 rebounds. He also grabbed 14 or more boards in four of those games. These numbers are well beyond his career stats.

While not a huge sample size, Achiuwa is showing that he can thrive when given the opportunity, which he didn’t seem to get in Toronto. And while he’s playing both center and power forward right now, he really shines at the PF spot.  

“I’m definitely more of a 4 than a 5 … but it don’t matter to me,” Achiuwa said. “For me, it’s doing whatever it takes to get a win…I don’t really care about all the extra stuff, just do what I got to do to put us in a better position to win. Whether it’s setting screens, rebounding the ball, guarding the best player on the other team, steals, blocks – whatever it takes to win basketball games, that’s what I’m really looking forward to doing.”

It's this attitude that has enamored him with both fans (including Ben Stiller) and head coach Tom Thibodeau.

“I think he’s making a great effort. Not just the initial effort, but the second and third efforts as well," Thibodeau said. "And he’s going on every shot. So I think he’s getting into a quick rhythm, a rhythm shooting, reading the ball well and making great effort and doing a lot of good things for us.”

For the next couple of weeks at least, the Knicks will still resemble a triage unit, especially with their bigs. This is why Achiuwa could play a major role in keeping New York afloat as the playoffs inch closer.