Knicks’ recent win highlights major need

The New York Knicks are obviously not as good at rebounding the basketball as they were a season ago. Despite holding the third-best record in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks rank poorly in terms of rebounds.

They are just 25th in rebounds per game (42.4). What’s more, they are an abysmal 27th in offensive rebounds per game (nine). And that’s after they dominated the league in both categories last season, ranking fifth in the league in total rebounds and first overall in offensive rebounds.

Why are Knicks in this dilemma?

Granted, the Knicks lost Isaiah Hartenstein, an above-average rebounder who is averaging 12.3 rebounds per game across 10 games this season. They are also missing Mitchell Robinson, who led the NBA in offensive rebounds per games in 2023-24, due to his recovery from an ankle injury that’s projected to take longer than originally expected.

However, their most recent victory against the Orlando Magic highlights a major problem. The Knicks snuck by a sub-par rebounding team in terms of total rebounds (39-38), and they did so despite an eye-popping 22 rebounds from their starting center, Karl-Anthony Towns.

In other words, the entirety of the Knicks’ roster sans Towns registered a measly 17 rebounds. That’s not going to get it done against above-average rebounding teams.

The Magic rank 26th in rebounds, one spot behind the Knicks.

Can Precious Achiuwa rescue the Knicks?

So, how can the Knicks plug this hole? They could wait for Precious Achiuwa to acclimate. Achiuwa has played just five games since returning from an injury, and he’s averaging six rebounds in 18.4 minutes of action. As he ramps up, it’s likely that he gets more time, which translates to more rebounds.

For what it’s worth, Achiuwa averaged 7.2 rebounds in 24.2 minutes per game with the Knicks last season. But adding 1.2 additional rebounds per game isn’t the the type of jump coach Tom Thibodeau would like to see; New York would still rank about 15th in rebounds per games game.

Further, prior to Sunday night’s game, the Knicks were beaten on the boards in their previous three games—all of which featured Achiuwa. They lost to the fourth-best rebounding team (Atlanta Hawks), fifth-best (Toronto, Raptors), and eighth-best (Detroit Pistons). So, expecting Achiuwa to move the needle a noticeable amount is either a longer waiting game or a fool’s errand. Either way, New York would probably prefer a solution sooner than later.

What’s more, the Knicks’ front line is still a little too thin for comfort. Towns has been phenomenal (and, frankly, exceeded the highest of expectations). But a big man rotation of Towns and the six-foot-eight-inch Achiuwa doesn’t deter much around the rim.

Who could  Knicks trade for to remedy rebounding woes? 

Unfortunately, the Knicks have limited flexibility to add a big man via trade. They could dangle Robinson and draft capital to interested teams. However, all of New York’s own tradable first-round picks were sent out last Summer in the deal that added Mikal Bridges.

The Knicks do possess a gluttony of second-round picks, as well as the Washington Wizards’ protected first-round pick. But Robinson would undoubtedly return a less talented player due to his injury history. Would New York consider a Jonas Valanciunas deal centered around Robinson and picks?

That’s probably too much value to send out, with those around the industry expecting the same, via  ClutchPoints’ Anthony Irwin.

“The expectation is for the Lakers to offer (Gabe) Vincent and second-round pick compensation to the Wizards,” Irwin wrote.

Robinson is undoubtedly better than Vincent, when healthy. Further, Valanciunas is making $9.9 million this season, which is too little to construct a Robinson-for-Valanciunas deal. Instead, the Knicks could try for Achiuwa, Pacome Dadiet, less than $2 million of salary cap filler, and second-rounders for Valanciunas. But that might not be enough.

Separately, there has been trade interest in Jericho Sims, according to the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy. But Sims only makes $2 million. Given the Knicks cap situation, they cannot take back more money than they send out. So, they would be hard pressed to find an upgrade there.

New York could also explore trading Miles McBride. But that would have to return a starting caliber big man, and that’s unlikely. Further, McBride is squarely in coach Thibodeau’s rotation. So, he’s probably safe.

For better or worse, this might be the Knicks team for now. Fortunately, their schedule remains relatively easy for the next few weeks, with five of their last eight games of 2024 against the Toronto Raptors, New Orleans Pelicans , Washington Wizards (twice), and Utah Jazz.

Still, it looks like a long road before Robinson returns from injury. And New York will continue to struggle on the glass if they don’t add another body. Let’s see what happens.