Where Will Knicks Put Precious Achiuwa?

The New York Knicks will explore many options for their backup center.

May 19, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Precious Achiuwa (5) warms up before game seven of the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks have their starting center in Karl-Anthony Towns after a blockbuster trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but questions linger as to who the backup center will be.

Mitchell Robinson projects to eventually take that role on, but his offseason surgery is keeping him off the court until either December or January, meaning someone else will have to take the reins for late October and November, which includes the Emirates NBA Cup.

The person most likely to take on that job going into the season is Precious Achiuwa.

Achiuwa, 25, averaged 7.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game with the Knicks in 49 appearances last season.

The Knicks brought back Achiuwa on a one-year, $6 million deal in free agency this summer after he impressed the team following a midseason trade from the Toronto Raptors. He was in restricted free agency for a while, but the Knicks were hoping to bring him back the entire time. The timing was odd, but given how restricted free agency works, the Knicks had to be patient along with Achiuwa, and it paid off.

Achiuwa was meant to be a throwaway piece in the deal, but the injuries in the frontcourt allowed for there to be more playing time for the former 2020 first-round pick.

The most likely person to challenge Achiuwa for the backup center role is Jericho Sims, who stands 6-10 and was behind Robinson on the depth chart. But given Achiuwa's success last season, he has the potential to earn playing time from Tom Thibodeau.

Achiuwa is certainly going to be in the mix of contributors, but he will have to earn his role during the team's training camp. If he competes and plays well, there's a decent chance he may be inserted into the second unit early in the season, and possibly even longer beyond when Robinson returns to the team.

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