Precious Achiuwa verdict after New York Knicks win and new line-up without Josh Hart, ‘it’s perfect’

In the spirit of ‘next man up’, this created an opportunity, with Precious Achiuwa brought into the starting line-up.

Achiuwa suffered a hamstring injury in pre-season, making his season debut in early December, with coach Tom Thibodeau praising the ‘speed and athleticism’ he brings to the team.

Precious Achiuwa impact

The New York Knicks won 133-107 in Minnesota, in a game dominated by the fallout of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade.

Precious Achiuwa made a useful contribution, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, also providing two assists.

It was just one fewer point than Jalen Brunson, with Towns’ 32 points and Mikal Bridges‘ 29 leading the scoring.

Former Knicks player Wally Szczerbiak told MSG Network that the new look line-up presents a very interesting new option for head coach Tom Thibodeau, due to Achiuwa’s physicality.

Szczerbiak said: “There are some positives come out of it. Obviously, Josh Hart is the heart and soul of this team, so he’s going to be out there on the floor a lot, but when Achiuwa plays the four, that’s his comfortable position.

“Then you have a guy that can do a little bit of the dirty work to help out Towns, where Towns doesn’t have to be the major rebounder all the time.

“You got another big time rebounder at the four spot, and what is most important is it moves Anunoby to his comfortable position, which is the three, when you can just let him use his defensive instincts and skills.”

The 13 points scored by Achiuwa was the most he has scored in a game this season, and his performance could reward him with more opportunities, especially if Josh Hart needs to take more time out.

What the New York Knicks learned

Achiuwa’s performance gave the Knicks an extra option. Is it one they will prefer, leaving Josh Hart with a battle to get back in?

Szczerbiak commented: “I think there’s a little bit of something that’s going to come out of this, because Achiuwa at the four fits that starting line up perfectly, gives them options.

“We have seen when he gets minutes, he had 27 minutes, he often puts up very, very impressive numbers. And he’s got size at the four.

“He’s a legit 6″8 he brings a little bit of rim protection. You put him alongside Karl-Anthony Towns, then you have two legitimate size guys at the five and the four position, and Tom Thibodeau likes size.

“The Knicks out rebounded this team by 20. They dominated them on the boards. And then you have a huge three in Anunoby, a huge two in Bridges, I mean you have a big team and a long team at every position.”

It’s clear Achiuwa offers the Knicks something different, a new variable, and this could be useful come play-off time later this season, where they may have to adjust to specific opponents.

The Knicks are looking good for a top four spot in the Eastern Conference, currently ranking third at 17-10, ahead of the 17-12 Magic.

Whether they can haul in the Celtics for the two-seed, could be interesting. There was a swing last night, with Boston losing at home to the Chicago Bulls to drop to 21-6.

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