The New York Knicks haven't played in a regular season game yet, but they've already been dealt three brutal injury blows. Fans learned a few weeks ago that Mitchell Robinson will miss the first few months of the season after undergoing surgery in May. The Knicks' need for a center was the driving force behind the Karl-Anthony Towns trade.
As if it's not bad enough that New York will be without one of its starters, two bench players got injured in the preseason. The Knicks signed Landry Shamet to a non-guaranteed deal over the summer. He impressed at training camp and was a favorite to get one of the team's open roster spots. Unfortunately, he dislocated his shoulder in Tuesday's preseason game against the Hornets.
New York waived Shamet on Saturday but could bring him back during the season when he's ready to return. SNY's Ian Begley reported that there's "initial optimism" that the guard will avoid surgery. Hopefully, that's the case, and he'll make his official Knicks debut in a few months.
Losing Shamet hurts because New York traded Donte DiVincenzo in the KAT deal. The Knicks needed shooting off the bench. The team's depth is already thin, which makes the latest injury news sting much more.
On Sunday, New York announced that Precious Achiuwa strained his hamstring in the preseason and will be re-evaluated in two to four weeks.
Precious Achiuwa sustained a strained left hamstring and will be re-evaluated in 2-4 weeks
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) October 20, 2024
Precious Achiuwa will miss first few weeks of the season with strained hamstring
The Knicks acquired Achiuwa last December in the OG Anunoby trade. He was initially viewed as an afterthought but turned into a key rotation piece in the second half of the season. He entered the offseason as a free agent. New York re-signed Achiuwa to a one-year, six million deal weeks after losing Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency.
Fans initially thought that Achiuwa would start the season as the starting center before the KAT trade. That's the dire position that the Knicks were in. New York's frontcourt depth is still lacking after the trade, making Achiuwa's role much more important. Hamstrings can be tricky, but hopefully, he doesn't miss more than the first month of the season.
The Knicks will likely turn to rookie Pacome Dadiet in Achiuwa's absence. New York isn't known for playing non-lottery picks big minutes, especially to start the season, but the Knicks don't have much of a choice. Dadiet did well in the preseason, and the experience will benefit him.
Ariel Hukporti's two-way contract is expected to be converted to a standard deal, so the rookie center could see playing time. New York has space to sign a player to a veteran's minimum contract, so the front office could snag a player off the open market.
The Knicks' season opener is in Boston in two days. You can look on the bright side and say at least these injuries happened in October (and not late in the regular season). Hopefully, New York can get (and stay) healthy.