Stay or Go: Jericho Sims Feels Like Knicks’ Future

Trapped in a depth chart column with Karl-Anthony Towns and the longest-tenured New York Knick, Jericho Sims is turning himself into the center of attention.

From the get-go, it was apparent that this Knicks team would have to at least partially rely upon trusting Sims more. Isaiah Hartenstein chased big checks in Oklahoma City and it became increasingly clear that the seasoned Mitchell Robinson would not be ready for opening night.

The Knicks didn’t do much to combat the problem in the offseason, paving the path for Sims to enter the starting five before they added Karl-Anthony Towns mere weeks before training camp opened. Despite his denied promotion by proxy, Sims has been the top spell option for Towns, who has mostly performed as advertised in his metropolitan debuts.

Towns (and, of course, Jalen Brunson) has headlined the Knicks’ recent surge, which has seen them win eight of ten after a meandering 5-6 start. Sims, however, has had his share of muted brilliance that has propelled the Knicks forward and has kept the interior machines rolling while Towns rests.

In the prior nine games before Tuesday’s triumph over Orlando, Sims, playing just over 15 minutes a game, had averaged 4.9 rebounds and the Knicks are a plus-40 on the scoreboard during his time on the floor. The 4.6 rebounds he’s averaging in eighth games of relief in that span are good for 10th in the Association among players who have come off the bench in at least five games since Nov. 15.

Diving deeper into the stats, Sims continues to flex his muscle and flash his value: in the aforementioned nine game span, opponents are shooting 35.7 percent from a maximum of nine feet away with Sims as their primary defender in the prior nine games, good for 12th among centers who are facing at least four such shots a game. Sims is also earning a rebound on 63.6 percent of his box-outs since Nov. 15 (12th-best among centers who have played at least 15 minutes a game) and his rebounding percentage of 14.9 percent as a reserve places 10th (min. 12 minutes per game, in this case).

The difference has meant the world to the surging Knicks (stats include Monday’s game vs. Orlando)…

(Stats through 12/3/24)

While Sims’ lack of offense has rubbed some the wrong way–and led some observers to call for an Ariel Hukporti coup–fellow Manhattanites have come to Sims’ defense like he has for them/

“I think it goes underappreciated with the casual basketball fan that just looks at stats and doesn’t see the game and the presence that he has,” lauded Josh Hart, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “In the beginning of the year, he was trying to figure out what to do, how to play, his spots to be. But [in] the last 10 to 12 games, he’s been huge for us. He’s been someone who has come in and rebounded at a high level, guarded the pick-and-roll pretty well, protects the rim at a high level.”

He’s someone who has been huge for us. Casual basketball fans don’t really see his value, but we know exactly what he brings.”

Leave it to the seemingly eternal cloud that hovers over Manhattan basketball to track the Knicks down again but a crucial question now awaits New York with the second quarter of the season looming: what do they do with Sims?

The simplest answer is that Sims appears to have a crucial role in the Knicks’ future whether he bears “New York” on his chest or not. Precious Achiuwa appears to be inching his way back to the floor and Robinson is due back in January. Head coach Tom Thibodeau often works with two primary big men in his rotations and Sims has often been the odd man out with Robinson’s continued presence and Achiuwa and Hartenstein rising to the occasion when called upon.

But Sims’ recent play and the way he provides a defensive foundation on the New York bench has certainly given the Knicks something to think about.

While the Knicks seem content with their core, there’s no doubt that their name will linger in any and all conversations pertaining to the 2024-25 trade deadline. With draft stocks mostly depleted in the efforts to acquired Towns and Mikal Bridges, the odd interior man out likely stands as the Knicks’ most tradable asset. Each has a unique brand of upside, with Sims’ youth and defensive breakout standing as an appealing brand of attraction.

Dealing either Achiuwa or Robinson, on the other hand, would firmly cement Sims’ status as a New Yorker after several years of trying. It’s a good problem for the Knicks to have after years of selling and then stockpiling but the eventual decision could wind up defining their future.

Sims’ next chance to prove his worth to both New York and abroad lands on Thursday night when New York hosts the Charlotte Hornets (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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