NBA
Knicks Made Right Call With Precious Achiuwa
The New York Knicks may have found their Isaiah Hartenstein replacement after he signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency. However, they may not have needed to look very far to find the player who can fill in for him.
Precious Achiuwa, who was a restricted free agent for the Knicks but had his qualifying offer rescinded, has officially signed with the Knicks on a one-year deal worth $6 million.
“A high-effort, high-intensity big, Precious Achiuwa doesn’t do a ton as a passer or shooter outside the paint, but he generally stacks up rebounds, blocks and steals when he plays. And he doesn’t demand a ton of touches on the offensive end. After landing with the New York Knicks midseason, he averaged 7.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 24.2 minutes. And with the Knicks losing Isaiah Hartenstein to the Oklahoma City Thunder, they’re in need of a backup 5. Achiuwa may fit the bill,” Bleacher Report contributor Andy Bailey writes.
Achiuwa was viewed as a throw-in salary-matcher when he was traded to the Knicks in December along with OG Anunoby. However, he ended up playing a key role off the bench for the Knicks. He arguably had the best stretch of his career while in New York, and the Knicks wanted to keep him.
However, due to financial burdens, the Knicks couldn’t keep Achiuwa on the books as a restricted free agent. But now, after swinging and missing on Hartenstein, Achiuwa should be the ideal Plan B for the Knicks.
Achiuwa knows the system and already has a built-in chemistry with the team. On top of that, Achiuwa is young and has an opportunity to continue to grow, especially under the tutelage of coach Tom Thibodeau. If Thibodeau and the Knicks coaching staff had the chance to develop Achiuwa as well as they did during the season, imagine what would happen if they had a full offseason to work with?
This deal is possibly the best one that the Knicks could have made.
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