Precious Achiuwa has been the embodiment of the Knicks’ resident “next man up” mentality in recent months, and he’s back to form with Mitchell Robinson down with yet another nagging left ankle injury. .
With Robinson out of the playoffs with a stress reaction ankle injury and OG Anunoby injuring his hamstring in the third quarter, Achiuwa came off the bench and had another strong showing in his absence, posting eight points and five rebounds in 28 minutes. I showed you. This was a crucial dunk late in the fourth quarter as the Knicks came from behind to win 130-121 in Game 2 against the Pacers.
“This shows we have a lot of dogs on the team,” Achiuwa said later. “The players were locked in and, for the most part, ready to come in and do their part.
“You can’t ask for more than that because we have a lot of guys on our team that like to win. We’ve got a lot of guys that enjoy winning and are willing to do whatever it takes to win basketball games. If so, you can make great progress.”
Achiuwa was brought in from Toronto in the Anunoby trade on Dec. 30 and was a huge contributor to the Knicks throughout the second half of the season despite a rash of injuries up front.
With Robinson, Anunoby and Julius Randle out for extended periods, the latter of whom missed the season due to shoulder surgery, Achiuwa started 18 of the Knicks’ 49 regular season games.
In those starts, the Bronx native recorded 12.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in 36.5 minutes per game.
Depending on Anunoby’s condition, Achiuwa will need extended playing time again, even if starting center Isaiah Hartenstein is no longer on the playing time limit imposed late in the regular season as he dealt with an Achilles injury. There is a possibility that it will be considered.
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Hartenstein played at least 30 minutes in three of the Knicks’ first seven postseason games and scored a playoff-best 39 points in Game 2 against the Pacers.
Thibodeau expects the 24-year-old Achiuwa to be ready for what is needed, just as Robinson was when he missed Game 4 of the first round with a sprained left ankle. .
Hartenstein was also in foul trouble in that game, but the 6-foot-8 Achiuwa played 20 minutes, including the entire fourth quarter, and combined with Anunoby to shut down All-Star 76ers center Joel Embiid. .
The pending restricted free agent had seven points and four blocked shots.
“I think it’s the next guy up. All I have to do is go out there and play the right way and continue to play winning basketball,” Achiuwa said. “We’ve proven that in the past. We just have to keep coming out and doing what it takes to win basketball games.”
