PHILADELPHIA — Precious Achiuwa contributed significantly to the Knicks throughout the second half of the season after arriving from Toronto due to various injuries up front.
With starting center Mitchell Robinson re-injuring his ankle, it’s no surprise that the Bronx product is once again making an impact off the bench when the Knicks need him most.
Although he was left out of a shortened eight-man rotation and didn’t play at all in the first two games of the playoffs against the Sixers, Tom Thibodeau said Achiuwa “gave big minutes” for the Knicks in the past two games.
Among them: Starting center Isaiah Hartenstein was on the court for the entire fourth quarter due to foul trouble in Sunday’s 97-92 win in Game 4, and OG Anunoby, the reigning MVP, was on the court late in the game. That includes helping shut down Joel Embiid.
“That’s part of being a professional. I pride myself on being a professional, showing up and doing what I’m supposed to do. And when opportunities come along, I take advantage of them. I’m going to play to the best of my ability,” said Achiuwa, who had seven rebounds and four blocked shots in 20 minutes. “For me, it comes down to remaining professional.
“There are a lot of ups and downs that happen in this league, but I know that I can contribute to the team. I think I was able to do that at a really high level this season, and I understand the level that I can play at.”
With Robinson forced to miss 50 games during the regular season due to a surgically repaired sprained left ankle, the 6-foot-8 Achiuwa will once again replace him up front, just as he has played in over 49 games since joining the team. served as a substitute. Anunoby was signed on December 30th in a deal that would transport RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to Toronto.
One of Achiuwa’s blocked shots in Sunday’s game saw Anunoby rotate from All-Star center to top-of-the-key open Kyle Lowry before flying to the perimeter and hitting Embiid’s 3-pointer from the right side. He refused the shot.
“I was reading OG,” Achiuwa said of his longtime teammate. “At first it looked like OG was on Joel, but then Kyle got the ball up top. I’m reading OG to see if he’s going to rotate to Kyle.
“Kyle jumped up in the air and shot the ball, but I was just reading the ball. He passed it to Embiid, so it was a really automatic read and react type of play. The way me and OG play against each other, we kind of get a feel for what the next guy wants to do and what he’s doing and go from there.”
Achiuwa, 24, has been the embodiment of the Knicks’ next-man-up mantra for months.
Robinson left the arena wearing a walking boot for the second consecutive game, but even if he returns for Game 5 on Tuesday, Achiuwa will still be a part of the rotation as Bojan Bogdanovic injured his left foot in the first half and did not return. It is possible to obtain
“Precious played really well for them throughout the regular season, and that’s what I thought when Robinson was out,” said Sixers coach Nick Nurse, who also coached Achiuwa with the Raptors. “They have a guy who’s always ready.”
