Jalen Brunson is the undisputed leader of the New York Knicks. That's no secret. He's an All-Star and an All-NBA candidate. He's finally starting to receive more recognition, but he doesn't care about that.
Fans haven't seen a healthy Knicks squad in a few weeks and will have to wait a while to see the whole team play with Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks. Despite the injuries, New York has maintained its spot as one of the best teams in the East. While Brunson's a significant reason for that, he isn't the only one.
4 Knicks not named Jalen Brunson who have impressed this season
4. Precious Achiuwa
Precious Achiuwa was an afterthought in the OG Anunoby trade, but he's proven that he should be regarded as more than that.
The 24-year-old grew up in Nigeria but moved to the Bronx when he was in eighth grade so that he could focus on basketball. Maybe the fact that he's back playing at his second home has something to do with his quiet rise.
Achiuwa's averaging 8.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game. It took him a couple of games to get acclimated to being a Knick, but he's since figured things out. He's been one of the bright spots of a discouraging couple of weeks with New York's injury issues.
For someone who was first labeled as a player who could potentially be the Knicks' Isaiah Hartenstein replacement in free agency, Achiuwa has been a solid acquisition.