Knicks Center Faces Do-or-Die Year

The New York Knicks need their center to step up this season.

Jeremy Brener | Sep 8, 2024

Apr 4, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Jericho Sims (45) warms up before a game against the Sacramento Kings at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

New York Knicks center Jericho Sims may be fighting for his NBA life in the upcoming season.

Sims, who turns 26 next month, is entering the final year of his deal before he becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer.

When Sims was drafted with the No. 58 overall pick by the Knicks in the 2021 NBA Draft out of Texas, he was viewed as a developmental project. Now, it's time for the project to stop developing and start performing.

The Knicks are in dire need of some production from the center position after Isaiah Hartenstein left in free agency for the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Knicks didn't sign a replacement that wasn't on the roster last season, believing the in-house centers can fill in the gaps.

Mitchell Robinson will be the primary contributor that needs to step up, but injuries limited him to just 90 games in the past two seasons. If that trend continues, Sims will be called upon at times to step in and contribute in a big way.

Sims has made 138 appearances for the Knicks in his first three NBA seasons and he has made 32 starts, including 11 last season. He's only averaged 2.6 points per game throughout his career, but that will have to change if he wants to stay with the Knicks and the NBA beyond the 2024-25 season.

Perhaps Sims has been a victim of a lack of opportunity in New York. He's only been called upon in relief, but he saw what Hartenstein was able to do last season when Robinson went down. Sims doesn't have to perform on that same level, but he needs to be able to gain trust with coach Tom Thibodeau in order to stay out there for longer periods of time.

If Sims can earn Thibodeau's trust and fill in the void that the center position needs, he could be due for an extension from the Knicks in the summer.

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Published Sep 8, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.