Knicks' big man is proving team was right to stand pat at trade deadline

The trade deadline came and went without the New York Knicks doing anything other than sending Jericho Sims to the Bucks. They decided not to trade for another frontcourt player and instead wait for Mitchell Robinson to return.

The Knicks traded for Karl-Anthony Towns days before training camp, as questions swirled around about what they'd do at center with Robinson sidelined and Isaiah Hartenstein gone. They re-signed Precious Achiuwa to a one-year, six million deal over the summer, but he's not a traditional center. Sims hadn't proved that he could be the starting center, either.

Part of the reason for signing Achiuwa to that deal was so New York could have a tradable salary in case the front office wanted to upgrade the roster before the deadline. However, once again, Achiuwa proved he was too valuable to give up.

He arrived to the Knicks in December 2023 as part of the OG Anunoby trade. Achiuwa went from an afterthought to helping keep the team afloat amid last season's never-ending injuries. He missed the start of the 2024-25 season with a hamstring injury, and his return was a welcomed sight.

Achiuwa has started the past few games in place of Anunoby, who is dealing with a foot sprain. The forward is coming off one of his best games of the season, where he nearly scored a new career high in points.

Precious Achiuwa scores 26 points in Knicks' overtime win over Hawks

Achiuwa finished with 26 points (12-of-16), eight rebounds, two blocks, one assist, and one steal in 42 minutes on Tuesday. He was one point shy of matching his career-high 27 points that he set with the Raptors in January 2023.

There were no trade rumors regarding Achiuwa leading up to the deadline, but that doesn't mean the front office didn't do its due diligence and evaluate all options. Ultimately, they believed their best chance to compete this season was to keep Robinson and Achiuwa, two of the team's top frontcourt defenders.

Achiuwa has flaws (like with rebounding) and can be inconsistent, but he's more important to the Knicks than the average NBA fan thinks. His point total on Wednesday reflects that. Hopefully, his game will continue to trend upward after the All-Star break.