If Knicks' Isaiah Hartenstein can't go, Precious Achiuwa or Jericho Sims may get a shot to start at center
Isaiah Hartenstein of the Knicks look on late during the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Will Jericho Sims get another crack at being the Knicks’ starting center? Or will newcomer Precious Achiuwa be coach Tom Thibodeau’s next man up?
Right now, all that can be counted on is that there’s a strong chance Isaiah Hartenstein will miss a game for the first time in his two seasons with the Knicks when they face the Nets on Tuesday at Barclays Center.
Listed as questionable with what is now being called a sore left foot, Hartenstein suffered the injury in the third quarter of Saturday’s win over Toronto and did not play afterward.
Hartenstein did not practice with the team on Monday. He also did not get X-rays, the Knicks said, just an unspecified medical treatment.
Hartenstein stepped up for the Knicks after starter Mitchell Robinson injured his left ankle in a Dec. 8 loss to the Celtics and then underwent what at the time was feared to be season-ending surgery. At first, Thibodeau went with Sims as the Knicks’ starting center. But after Sims injured an ankle, Hartenstein got the nod and thrived as a starter.
“It’s huge,” Thibodeau said when asked about Hartenstein’s contributions. “Mitch goes out and he stepped right in and it was good and very positive. Jericho did a good job filling in as well and got injured. Now Precious is in [the mix]. It’s next guy just be ready. If you are not in the rotation, you never know when that time comes.”
That’s certainly something that Sims understands. He started five straight games after Robinson’s injury. Since returning from his own injury, he has played in only five of the 12 games in which he was active, logging a total of only 15:31.
“The challenge of it is going down to the Garden and then having to sit through it,” Sims said of not playing. “And the next day is pretty much your day to train. That’s the approach you have to take every day when you come in . . . I’m kind of used to it by now. Every day I’m going through my same routine as if I was to play.”
Fans might want to see some more of Achiuwa, who has been an overlooked piece of the OG Anunoby trade. On Saturday, Achiuwa recorded 18 points and 11 rebounds in 25 minutes.
Thibodeau said Anunoby and Julius Randle also could see some time at center.
“We got to just be all hands on deck,” Randle said. “Everybody’s got to step up and do a little more together collectively as a team . . . It takes everybody.”
Notes & quotes: Every day there seems to be another trade rumor involving Quentin Grimes. How does the shooting guard feel about that? Grimes was not made available to talk to the media.
Thibodeau brushed off the rumors as something players shouldn’t pay attention to. “This time of year, for every 100 trades that get talked about, one gets done,” he said. “That’s why you stick to your routine. You block out all the outside stuff. You lock into what’s in front of you and keep your focus there. Let basketball be your focus.”
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
