The Knicks waited, then waited some more, and then they signed Precious Achiuwa.
It took more than three weeks from the moment Isaiah Hartenstein agreed to a three-year, $87 million deal to leave New York for the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Knicks to settle on his replacement, a potential interim who waived his no-trade clause to return to The Mecca on a one-year, $6 million deal.
Achiuwa could be just that — an interim — trade bait the Knicks, beginning Dec. 15, will be eligible to package with other players and draft picks to acquire a higher-paid player they otherwise would be unable to afford outright as a free agent.
In layman’s terms, there’s one train of thought viewing Achiuwa’s $6 million cap hit as a trade asset more valuable than his actual impact on the floor as a player.
And then there’s another train of thought.
A train suggesting that there’s more: more than what meets the eye for a front office that drafted and developed Miles McBride into an integral piece of its playoff operation while inking him to a modest three-year, $13 million deal.
More than what meets the eye for an organization that signed Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo to contracts considered well below market value, which could end up being the case for Achiuwa, who showed flashes of a game — albeit in fleeting moments — worthy of a deal larger than the one he signed to return home.
There’s a train of thought viewing Achiuwa less as a $6 million cap hit and more as a player who could save the Knicks’ season because the thought of his presence in New York beyond the mid-February NBA Trade Deadline will rest solely on his ability to do so — save a possession, a game, maybe even a week’s or month’s slate — at a moment’s notice, an ability Hartenstein showcased to earn both his favor in New York and a massive pay day on a Western Conference contender, and an ability Achiuwa may have tucked away for the opportunity, which will undoubtedly present itself this season as the Knicks make a run at their first NBA Finals appearance of the century.
The Knicks will make their run with or without Achiuwa, though the world seems more intrigued by the possibilities of without, despite the team’s recent history, coming one game shy of an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, and now gearing up for another, yet again with their tiger-wielding backup in orange-and-white.
ROBINSON’S INJURIES
Mitchell Robinson doesn’t think he’s injury-prone, but recent data suggests otherwise.
Robinson, the high-flying, rim-protecting big man and starting Knicks center, suffered what was feared to be a season-ending stress fracture in his left ankle in December. He underwent surgery and rehabbed for three-and-a-half months before returning to the floor in March.
And then it happened again: same injury, same foot, this time in Game 1 of the Knicks’ second-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers (though some foul play in the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers may have been to blame).
The spry seven-footer is expected to be a full participant in training camp in October.
Robinson has proven to be an impact player on both ends of the floor when he is available. Recency bias suggests he may not be available as often as both he and the team would like: Robinson has twice as many seasons playing 59 or more games (four) than he does playing fewer than 40 games (two), but after appearing in just 31 games and suffering the same injury twice last year, confidence is not high in his ability to play a full season.
And with Hartenstein now a distant afterthought, the confidence now shifts to Achiuwa, who slots up — not just in the backup order, but as the starter in the event Robinson were to sustain another debilitating injury.
Achiuwa logged 12 minutes over a five-game stretch alongside last season’s Knicks starters: Randle, Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Donte DiVincenzo. That unit — the starters plus Achiuwa — outscored opponents by an average of 25.9 points per 100 possessions.
Achiuwa has a larger sample size of minutes played alongside Anunoby: 201 minutes spread across 21 regular-season games. No two Knicks players who spent 58 or more minutes on the floor together posted a better net rating than Anunoby and Achiuwa.
The Knicks, however, rarely used Achiuwa as a straight-up center. In fact, head coach Tom Thibodeau found more success playing Achiuwa at the four alongside another big man down at the five, the most success coming with Achiuwa playing alongside Hartenstein, but also some instances when Achiuwa played at the four next to Jericho Sims or Taj Gibson.
Achiuwa will need to prove his ability, not just to guard multiple positions, of which he is capable, but to guard centers of all shapes and sizes, from Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic to Victor Wembanyama and Kristaps Porzingis.
His staying power at Madison Square Garden might depend on it.
VERSATILE DEFENSE
One thing Achiuwa can do is guard a wing.
It’s the final possession of the Knicks’ regular-season finale, an April 14 matchup against the Chicago Bulls in a matchup with zero playoff implications for the Play-In Tournament-bound Bulls and the Eastern Conference’s second seed hanging in the balance for the Knicks, and the Knicks — just as the schedule-makers and basketball gods scripted — are in a dogfight, in overtime, on a day almost every other playoff team took off.
A perennial finalist for NBA Clutch Player of the Year, DeMar DeRozan has the ball in his hands, and he gets the switch away from Anunoby onto Achiuwa.
DeRozan, however, shot 0-of-5 against Achiuwa prior to this possession. He would finish 0-of-6 and with a loss after Achiuwa forced a miss not only to save the game, but also to cement the Knicks’ status entering the playoffs with the No. 2 seed.
Achiuwa’s value is in his versatility. He recorded seven double-doubles for the Knicks last season.
He had 12 games with at least one block and one steal, 14 games with at least two blocks, nine games with at least two steals and six games with at least two blocks and two steals. He even had a game with five blocks and two steals (to go with 15 points, 14 rebounds and four steals) in a March 8 appearance as a starter against the Orlando Magic, and another game with 23 points, 14 rebounds and five assists starting alongside Jericho Sims in a loss to the Magic.
The numbers support Achiuwa, but waiving the no-trade clause on his $6 million deal helps no one but the Knicks. Fit is what matters at Madison Square Garden, home to a team built on friendship and chemistry.
Achiuwa must prove he belongs. He must prove he, like Hartenstein, is a complimentary fit when bumped up a spot in the rotation.
He must prove last season’s highlight reel can become consistent output. More importantly, he must minimize the mistakes apparent in last year’s blooper reel.
If he can’t, Achiuwa will be viewed more as a trade asset and not as the player who can shore the Knicks’ frontcourt in the event Robinson were to go down.
Achiuwa waived the no-trade clause in his own contract. The only thing he can do now is make his best case to stay.
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