Knicks Update Precious Achiuwa’s Injury Status

New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau offered a Precious injury update as his team worked through a four-game road trip.

While Thibodeau remarked that injured interior man Precious Achiuwa has made “good, steady progress” and is traveling with the team, he hinted that it’s unlikely that the veteran takes the floor during the ongoing trek, which reached its halfway point with a 128-98 win over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night.

“He’s doing a little more on the court,” Thibodeau said, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “Once a guy can start doing stuff on the court, then usually he’ll travel with us. Sometimes it’s better to keep him back [in New York] because we can do more rehab stuff at the facility.”

Achiuwa, who signed a one-year deal late in the offseason after coming over in a December 2023 trade with the Toronto Raptors, has yet to play this season after enduring a hamstring strain in the preseason finale against Washington on Oct. 18. He was originally listed as out for at least two-to-four weeks on Oct. 20 with a reevaluation to follow.

The 25-year-old was brought back as interior depth after the Knicks’ paint picture was partly ruined by the loss of Isaiah Hartenstein and Mitchell Robinson’s ongoing injury woes. Achiuwa was one of several New Yorkers who rose to the occasion when injuries ate away at the primary rotations last year, averaging 7.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in 49 appearances (including 18 starts).

The early returns on the Knicks’ revamped rebounding corps suggest Achiuwa can take his time: New York (3-2) is allowing the fewest boards per game at just over 38, primarily sustained by the efforts of Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart, both of whom are averaging over 10 in the early going.

New York returns to action on Monday night against the Houston Rockets (8:45 p.m. ET, MSG).

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