Precious Achiuwa is benefitting from opposing defenses double-teaming All-Star Knicks guard Jalen Brunson.
With Julius Randle (dislocated right shoulder) and OG Anunoby (right elbow surgery) each out an extended period of time, Knicks opponents have routinely either outright double-teamed, blitzed or trapped Brunson in pick-and-roll actions.
Brunson’s game plan? Get the ball out of his hands as fast as possible, and with Achiuwa bumped up the rotation due to injuries at the center spot, he’s been available — and capable — as a dump-off option when the star Knicks guard needs to get off the ball.
“When he gets trapped, we’ve gotta work on — don’t fight the trap just get the ball out, get to the second pass, and we’ll get a good shot from that. We can generate good offense off of that, so that’s the way we have to play and that’s the responsibility of the primary scorer when the second defender comes. Let the game tell you what to do: hit the open man.”
Achiuwa has often been a pressure-release for Brunson, and the numbers back it up.
After struggling to find his footing in his first handful of games after arriving in New York as part of the Anunoby deal, he has become integral to the shorthanded Knicks’ success.
Over his last 10 games, Achiuwa is averaging 14.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals.
His 4.5 offensive rebounds per game rank first among all NBA players who have played in more than six of their team’s last 10 games.
Achiuwa scored 18 points on Thursday against the Sixers and 23 points in the pre All-Star finale against the Orlando Magic.
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Miles McBride is earning more of Tom Thibodeau’s trust.
Thibodeau played McBride critical fourth-quarter minutes in Thursday’s 110-96 victory over the 76ers.
The third-year guard hounded Sixers All-Star Tyrese Maxey, helping hold him to an 11-of-24 shooting night.
“It was huge — and the thing is: they were small and quick,” Thibodeau said of McBride’s impact. “So the tempo of the game was changing. So we wanted to get his feet onto the floor, and he’s not afraid to mix it up underneath the basket to get to loose balls. You get a couple strips, deflections and I think that’s huge.”
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The Knicks are well aware of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. They stand fourth entering Saturday’s matchup against the league-best Boston Celtics, but only three games separate No. 4 New York from No. 8 Orlando.
With 26 games left on the schedule, the Knicks have little margin for error.
“Coming out of the break, you’re headed down the stretch so there has to be urgency to this,” said Thibodeau. “And regardless of [the opponent], every game counts the same. So they’re all very important and we can’t look past anybody. And we’re undermanned right now. Our starting frontcourt’s not there, so we know we’ve gotta play hard as hell. And if we do that we’ll have a chance to win.”
