New York Knicks fans began to panic over the summer when Isaiah Hartenstein signed with the Thunder in free agency, even though the writing was on the wall that he'd leave. A few weeks later, New York re-signed Precious Achiuwa to a one-year deal.
Fans later learned in the offseason that Mitchell Robinson would miss the first few months of the season after undergoing ankle surgery in May. Therefore, Achiuwa or Jericho Sims would be the team's starting center. Fans panicked even more. Achiuwa did well for New York in the second half of last season, but he's not a traditional center. As for Sims, he hadn't proved much in his first three seasons since being drafted.
The Knicks surprised everyone by trading for Karl-Anthony Towns. He's powered the Knicks to have one of the best offenses in the league. Towns isn't the rim-protecting center New York fans are accustomed to, which isn't necessarily bad.
Sims has been KAT's primary backup with Achiuwa sidelined with a hamstring strain. Hopes weren't high for Sims entering the season based on how he's looked in the past, but he's quietly started 2024-25 on a hot note.
Jericho Sims has stepped up for Knicks with Achiuwa sidelined
Ben Ritholtz pointed out on X (Twitter) that through 20 games, Sims allowed a 33.3% field goal percentage at the rim. Ritholz sorted the data based on players who played 10 or more games this season and defended at least two shots at the rim. Sims had the lowest percentage by a wide margin.
Through 20 games, Jericho Sims is allowing a 33.3 FG% at the rim. Nobody else in the league is below 40%. pic.twitter.com/CDmy4edfLb
— Rit Holtzman (@BenRitholtzNBA) December 2, 2024
Per NBA.com, opponents are shooting 39.3% against Sims in the paint. For reference, opponents are shooting 47.4% against Towns in the paint. KAT has a larger sample size, considering he's averaging 33.5 minutes per game in contrast to Sims' 13.7 minutes per game. It's still an impressive feat for Sims, who entered the season with low expectations.
The 26-year-old is in the final season of his contract after New York picked up his club option over the summer. He's set to enter unrestricted free agency next offseason. There is still a lot of basketball left to be played, but Sims has upped his value. He's turning into another draft success story, similar to Miles McBride.
Achiuwa should return to the lineup soon (he's listed as questionable against the Hornets), but that doesn't mean Sims will be booted from the rotation. Tom Thibodeau has run with an eight-man rotation on most nights where the Knicks haven't blown out their opponent or been blown out. Sims should keep his spot.