Knicks Should Start Jericho Sims

The New York Knicks find themselves in familiar territory as they need to find a replacement for starting center Mitchell Robinson.

It was reported that Robinson would not be ready until December or January as he is still recovering from offseason surgery on his ankle, which he re-aggravated in the first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers.

With Robinson out, the Knicks will look towards a few different options to fill in the gaps, but none may see more minutes than fourth-year pro Jericho Sims.

Sims, who turns 26 next month, was drafted by the Knicks with the No. 58 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft out of Texas, but the former Longhorn hasn’t seen much action in New York.

Sims has only played in 138 out of a possible 246 games for the Knicks, most of which have come in garbage time. However, the Knicks may need to count on him playing important minutes while Robinson remains on the sidelines.

The Knicks aren’t asking Sims to be the next Isaiah Hartenstein and break out for the team while Robinson is out, they simply need him to give the team good minutes for however long he is out there.

Sims has averaged just 14.1 points per game, but the Knicks may need something like 20-24 minutes out of him each night. Sims won’t be alone to cover the center position. They have Julius Randle and Precious Achiuwa, both of whom can play a small-ball center role.

Sims has just one year left on his contract, so it’s now or never for him when it comes to the Knicks. Given that the pressure is on, Sims will either become a diamond or prove to the Knicks that they should find someone else to be a backup big man for them.

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