The Knicks‘ center spot has been a point of concern dating back to last season with injuries and free agency departures at the position culminating in the trade for Karl-Anthony Towns.
Towns’ star play early on this season has helped round out their starting five, but with one backup still hurt (Mitchell Robinson) and another just returning from injury (Precious Achiuwa), the reserve minutes fell to fourth-year man Jericho Sims.
Though it won’t reflect in the box score, Sims has stepped up in the face of championship expectations and calls for his job, scoring among the league’s best in defensive metrics and holding down the fort well in non-Towns lineups.
Despite this, his position in the rotation could be at risk as the Knicks get healthier.
Has Sims done enough to cement his spot for the rest of the season, or will the front office look to cash in on his trade value with other options returning?
New York drafted Sims with the 58th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. He was already 23 years old and lacked a fluent offensive game, but measured off the charts with his leaping ability and was already the mold of the modern rim-running, paint-defending big.
He didn’t see real minutes until the latter part of his rookie season when the Knicks fell out of playoff contention. Though still catching up to NBA speed, he displayed a solid commitment to defense and rebounding and the tools to excel on those ends.
Sims only received situational minutes in the following two seasons, with newcomers Isaiah Hartenstein and Achiuwa taking most of the minutes off the bench. Still, he showed small improvements with the passing years, dropping his foul and turnover rates as he filled in when needed.
It was clear this season had his biggest role yet in store, with Sims even being in the mix to start before the Towns deal. He’s averaged 13.2 minutes, 1.9 points, and four rebounds on 70.4 percent shooting from the field over 22 games.
Those numbers hardly jump off the stat sheet, but don’t give a proper measurement of his impact.
First, Sims is a gifted offensive rebounder, leaping over box-outs to collect 10.9 percent of available offensive boards, good for first on the Knicks and near the top 20 in the league. Fans missing the waterfall of second opportunities last year’s team earned have enjoyed watching Sims pick up that mantle for this squad.
He’s been solid on the defensive glass as well, though with a less staggering individual number.
He’s terrific about using his size to box out the paint for others though, so the Knicks don’t lose any points to second chances when he subs in for Towns.
Where he picks up ground for the Knicks is defensively. New York allows 4.4 fewer points per 100 possessions to teams with Sims on the court, in part a testament to his presence around the rim.
Sims has been an imposing anchor thanks to his size, leaping, positioning, and verticality. He doesn’t chase after shot blocks, just gets where he needs to, and swallows up any open air between the offensive player and the rim.
Opponents are shooting 37.4 percent, a full ten percentage points worse than average when guarded by Sims. While he’s primarily been in drop coverage defending the cup, he’s also been excellent on the few occasions he’s switched onto the perimeter.
Sims now has the comfort of a veteran on the floor, which combined with his mobility and physical tools makes him a fearsome threat defensively. Head coach Tom Thibodeau hasn’t gotten the chance to fully experiment with him and Towns playing together, but expect to see more of that look going forward.
Offensively, Sims doesn’t get a great deal of chances to score for himself, but has set mean screens for Jalen Brunson and knows how to handle himself in the short roll or when being ignored off-ball. He’s a ferocious, high-flying finisher when given an opening, they’ve just been few and far between.
That’s hardly a concern given how much he contributes on the other end and on the boards. It’s not often 58th overall picks become contributors, let alone high-level defensive repellants.
New York will have to give real consideration to his play with Achiuwa now back in the rotation and Robinson not far behind. If they’re interested in making moves at the deadline, losing one of these centers is a likely outcome, but Sims may be playing himself out of that conversation.
He’s still just 26 years old, entering his prime with unrestricted free agency awaiting him this summer.
If the Knicks don’t feel confident they can come to terms with him then, a trade could be on the horizon so as to not lose his talents for nothing. In the meantime, those talents have been invaluable in getting this team on track through its first 20+ games.
The Knicks would be smart to keep him included in their rotation, for as long as there’s room for him.