Precious Achiuwa had to wait until the end of July to re-sign with the Knicks as a free agent due in part to the team’s salary cap issues. Achiuwa will hit the free agent market once again next summer after signing a one-year, $6MM deal but he could pump up his value in a reserve role this season, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.
Achiuwa projects as the main frontcourt reserve until Mitchell Robinson returns from ankle surgery.
“I know I’m versatile. Playing the power forward, the center, the versatility of my game stands out the most,” Achiuwa said. “And last year I was able to show a lot of people that I was able to do a lot of different things.”
Robinson’s tentative timeline to get back in action is sometime in December or January.
We have more on the New York teams:
- OG Anunoby missed chunks of time in the regular season and postseason due to injuries after the Knicks acquired him from the Raptors last season. The defensive ace is healthy this preseason and coach Tom Thibodeau basically looks at it as a fresh start. “He missed a lot of time last year. … So we still got to get reacclimated to everything we’re doing,” he said of Anunoby, according to Peter Botte of the New York Post. “Obviously you start at a zero base and you build. And that’s where we are. We’re building right now, but we have to understand that you build together. And so you’re asking everyone to share the floor, share the ball, and then be committed together defensively. And so that’s what we’re working on.”
- The Nets’ Ben Simmons will be a free agent after this season but that’s not what he’s thinking about. He just wants to be a productive player and good teammate, he told Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “We have a younger team that I want to help these guys get better. I want to lead by example. I want to compete,” Simmons said. “(Head coach) Jordi (Fernandez) is coming in first year. It’s a big year for him. I want to be a leader on this team. So (screw) what happens next year, and what contract I get, if I get a contract. I want to do my job while I’m here and be professional and help these guys in any way I can. So who knows? I want to play as long as my body will allow me. So if it’s one year, five years, six years, I don’t know what it is. But I just want to keep going until I can’t anymore.”
- Ziaire Williams had 10 points and three steals in 23 minutes during the Nets’ preseason game on Tuesday. He was acquired from Memphis in a salary dump and is looking to establish himself in the league, Lewis writes. “I’m trying to reinvent myself, show people that I belong in this league,” Williams said. “I’m trying to work my hardest every day. Just put all my heart, my soul out there on defensive, and carry that over to the offensive end.” Williams is eligible for a rookie scale extension until October 21, the day before the season begins.
Considering that Precious was a “throw-in” on the Anunoby deal, he played a pivotal role for Knicks last season, and did everything he was asked to do very, very well. He’s undersized as a 5 but that didn’t stop him from playing great defense and grabbing timely boards.
I was pleasantly surprised. His rep was that he was talented but unreliable. I saw kinda the opposite: not much by way of skills but worked his butt off night in and night out. Psyched to have him on my favorite team again.
Kid is taking less money to play in NY and betting on himself to get minutes, improve on last season, and net a longer term contract (with the Knicks).
Love that he wants to be a Knick!
Having young guys that buy in and believe in themselves like Precious, Deuce, Sims, is a great reflection of Knicks ethos under Thibs and Captain JB.
I grew up watching Ewing Knicks, this team has more talent, especially the youth at the end of the bench.
Spot on krumble. And if he has another solid season I’d love to see the Knicks reward him with a longer term contract. Players like him (based on what he did for the Knicks last year) don’t hit the stats sheet bit fill those minutes well when called upon.
Ben is saying what he’s supposed to.♂️
I think his fall has been tragic, but I hope the guy can follow through. He really is too talented to have the controversies of the last several seasons be his defining career moments. Doc publicly broke the kid and walked away from the mess. Everyone else involved with Ben has been trying to put Simmons’ confidence back together ever since. Doc did nothing to repair the damage he did in that post elimination interview after the disappointing playoff loss to the Hawks. It should be the defining moment of Doc’s career, not Ben’s.
Define his talents exactly.
Top notch playmaker, great defender.
Awful shooter and headcase!
Doc isn’t an amazing coach but he spoke nothing false of Ben. Ben lost the series if you watched it. They literally fouled him on purpose every fourth quarter. Be a grown up and deal with the truth.
I hope he gets well and is a great comeback story, like Grant Hill. Simmons may not be an All-Star again but he’s a unique talent without a lot to offer any team.
Lol — with a lot — he’s a one man fast break, gets downhill fast and can hit wings for open jumpers or go to the rim. Just needs to hit 60% of his FT’s.
6-11 point guard who doesn’t score is a little unorthodox to me . Never accepted his mentality that’s why you never ever dominated to me. It seems to me throughout the career he was trying to get a triple double every game a scoring 10 points which is not a winning mentality. If those triple doubles would have been added with some twenties and I would have respected his game a little bit better.
Precious is the guy. So glad we signed him. He’s just solid. Did you watch Hukporti. He was gassed.
NBA game shape bro. There is hope in Hukporti imo. NYK 2024-25
Ben has career numbers. 14.4 pts, 7.4 ast
That means he’s responsible for 30 pts a gm. Then he’s a 1st team defensive player.
Critics who don’t know facts ……..
If you like him so much , marry him
Couldnt it be more than 30 if hes assisting on threes?