CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Six weeks after Precious Achiuwa was sidelined with a hamstring strain, the reserve big has broken his silence and revealed the final hurdle to his long-awaited return.
“I need to get to a point where I have confidence in myself again,” Achiuwa said after getting his 19th straight DNP in Friday's game between the Knicks and the Hornets. “I'm an explosive player. I need to build confidence for me to be able to explode.”
Achiuwa, who was ruled out for Sunday's game against New Orleans, said he doesn't know when that will be, but he is practicing full-contact and taking it “every day.”
After Sunday, the Knicks will play at home on Tuesday (Orlando), Thursday (Charlotte) and Saturday (Detroit).
“When I get to the point where I feel it's best for me to play, I'm going to go out and play,” Achiuwa said.
The recovery took longer than the Knicks initially indicated.
Achiuwa, 25, suffered a muscle strain in the final preseason game on Oct. 18 and was given “two to four weeks” to be reevaluated.
This was the only official update or timeline provided by the Knicks until manager Tom Thibodeau announced that Achiuwa was cleared to practice during last week's road trip.
“So it was a very long process,” Achiuwa said. “It's tough. I think any player would want to play outside, especially to watch the game and know that there might be something they can do outside. That's the hardest part of this. ”
In Achiuwa's absence, the Knicks (11-8) have utilized an eight-man rotation that leans primarily toward starters, with Jericho Sims as the only frontcourt reserve.
Achiuwa is more of a power forward than a center, giving Thibodeau confidence that he will be in the same lineup as Karl-Anthony Towns, unlike Sims.
His presence could help solve the obvious problem of protecting the rim around Towns.
Achiuwa led the Knicks with 1.7 blocks per 36 minutes last season, which was even higher than Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein's averages.
Achiuwa, an occasional 3-point shooter, was one of the Knicks' best performers in the preseason before his injury.
“I think one of my biggest talents is my defensive versatility, being able to play multiple positions from No. 1 to No. 5,” Achiuwa said. “Coming back, to me, we're already probably the best offense in the league right now. So how do we join the team defensively and be elite in that? We have the potential to be elite defensively. I think it's sexual.”
The Knicks entered the weekend ranked 24th in defensive rating, according to NBA.com, which would be their worst finish since Thibodeau took over.
Sims boasts the team's best individual defensive rating, a testament to his ability to guard on the perimeter, at least in part because he has never shared the court with Towns.
However, on the offensive side, Sims is limited to screening and dunking.
The 26-year-old recently said he can do more but understands that's not his role.
“Growing up, I've done a lot of different things. I'm a professional basketball player, and I think that's what people often forget,” Sims said. “The players can do certain things, but they probably don't get as much exposure during the game because that's not their role at the time. That's it.
“Obviously our offense is already very good so that’s why I come in. My mentality is to work as hard as I can, whether it’s on defense or getting guys open, to be in every box. It’s about checking things off and beating your challenges and stuff,” Sims added. “I like to set up a hard screen [Brunson] When he's in the game. ”
Achiuwa and Sims will become free agents after the season.
