Precious Achiuwa has embodied the Knicks’ stay-ready “next-man-up” mentality for months, and he is up one more time with Mitchell Robinson down with another injury to his troublesome left ankle.
With Robinson out for the playoffs with a stress-reaction injury to his ankle, and OG Anunoby suffering a hamstring injury in the third quarter, Achiuwa delivered another strong game in their absence with eight points and five rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench — including a key dunk late in the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ 130-121 comeback victory in Game 2 against the Pacers.
“It just goes to show you it’s a bunch of dogs on the team,” Achiuwa said afterward. “Guys were locked in, ready to come in and play their parts for the most part.
“There’s a lot of guys that love to win on the team, so you can’t ask for nothing more than that. Once you have a bunch of guys that enjoy winning, and are willing to do whatever it takes to win a basketball game, you can go far with that.”
Achiuwa made a massive contribution to the Knicks amid a rash of frontline injuries throughout the second half of the season, following his inclusion in the Anunoby trade from Toronto on Dec. 30.
With Robinson, Anunoby and Julius Randle sidelined for lengthy stretches — and the latter also out for the year due to shoulder surgery — Achiuwa made 18 starts among his 49 regular-season appearances with the Knicks.
In those starts, the Bronx product posted 12.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in 36.5 minutes per game.
Depending on Anunoby’s status, Achiuwa could be needed for extensive playing time again, even with starting center Isaiah Hartenstein no longer on the minutes restriction he was subjected to late in the regular season to manage an Achilles issue.
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Hartenstein played at least 30 minutes in three of the Knicks’ first seven postseason games, topped by a playoff-best 39 in Game 2 against the Pacers.
Thibodeau can count on the 24-year-old Achiuwa to be ready for whatever is needed, as he was when Robinson sat out Game 4 of the first round with a sprain to his left ankle.
With Hartenstein also in foul trouble in that game, the 6-foot-8 Achiuwa played 20 minutes — including the entire fourth quarter — and combined with Anunoby on a shutdown of All-Star 76ers center Joel Embiid.
The pending restricted free agent finished with seven points and four blocked shots.
“I just think it’s next man up. My thing, I got to continue to go out there and play the right way, play winning basketball,” Achiuwa said. “We’ve shown that in the past. Just got to continue to go out there and do what we need to win basketball games.”
