The New York Knicks will face the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, Oct. 22, in what will be their season opener. Tom Thibodeau’s team should look significantly different from the one we saw last season after acquiring Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns in the summer.
There’s no doubt that New York is one of the strongest teams in the Eastern Conference this season. However, its chances at a hot start to its new campaign took a blow on Sunday.
Precious Achiuwa has suffered a strained hamstring and is expected to be out for the next two to four weeks.
New York was already dealing with depth issues at the center position. Mitchell Robinson is also expected to miss the opening months of the season. Furthermore, the Knicks bench lacks high-level depth, so losing two rotational bigs heading into the new season is far from ideal.
“This obviously puts the Knicks in a bit of a bind,” Jonathan Macri of the Knicks Film School newsletter said. “Achiuwa was slated … whether you consider him as the seventh man, their eighth man, it really doesn’t matter. The fact is, he’s the only reliable big they had coming off the bench.”
The Knicks will now enter their season opener at a disadvantage. Boston has multiple big men who can make a legitimate impact off the bench. They also have countless slashers who can pressure the rim and exploit New York’s limited rim-protection resources.
New York’s issues won’t stop at Boston, though. Achiuwa’s absence could force the Knicks to delve into the free-agent market to add some depth to their rotation, undoubtedly hurting the front office’s plan of keeping tax payments low. Furthermore, every team they face will likely attack the paint once the second unit is in the game.
Achiuwa’s injury won’t derail the Knicks’ push to make a deep postseason run and potentially challenge for a championship. It could, however, force them into an uphill battle for favorable seeding, especially if his current timeline for recovery proves to be too short.
The Knicks have suffered a tough blow ahead of the new season. How they pivot could have a big impact on their standings as we approach Christmas and New Year’s.
