Every season, on the night before the Boston Celtics play their opening game, I sound like a kid on Christmas. Something about the opening week or two of a season always captivates me. Perhaps it’s the chance to dive into a new or revamped playbook. I’m not sure if I’ll ever know. What I do know is that I enjoyed the WNBA this year. Shoutout to the New York Liberty for their championship.
However, while the Liberty celebrated their success, the New York Knicks were frantically running simulations. Tom Thibodeau must find a way to protect the rim when Karl-Anthony Towns is off the court.
Why?
Stefan Bondy of The New York Post reported that Precious Achiuwa had suffered a hamstring injury. He is expected to be out for 2-4 weeks. We’re not new here. We know hamstring injuries can last longer than that…But in truth, that’s not our problem…That’s New York’s problem…That’s KNICKS FANS’ problem.
Achiuwa’s absence does pose an opportunity for the Celtics, though. He isn’t the only big on New York’s injury report. Mitchell Robinson has been ruled out until November/December/January — somewhere around that time. As such, Thibodeau doesn’t have many options in the middle of the floor.
Jericho Sims is the most logical choice. He played in 45 games for New York last season. However, he didn’t suit up in any of the games against Boston, so we don’t have any data on how he matches up with some of the bench bigs available to Joe Mazzulla.
Sims averaged 13 minutes per game when he saw the floor, guarding an average of 2.1 shots per night. Despite his limited contributions on the glass, the Knicks went 30-15 in his games.
Unlike Robinson, who is a traditional drop big, Sims could give the Knicks’ second unit some defensive fluidity. He’s mobile enough to guard up on the perimeter, has good lateral quickness, can stay in front of his man, and has better-than-expected timing in shot contests.
Take a look at the above clip where Sims starts by defending Myles Turner, who is in the delay. Sims doesn’t bite on the keep action but takes a step off the perimeter to give himself time and space, giving himself an extra beat to react as the play unfolds. As Indiana moves the rock around the perimeter, Sims switches before going into an up-to-touch coverage on the second side PnR. He splits the roller and ball-handler before timing his shot contest and getting the block.
Here’s another example of Sims guarding up to the perimeter. This time, Nic Claxton looks to test Sims’ ability to stay connected on drives. When the young Knicks big beats him to his spot, Claxton tries to spin off, only to find himself met by Sims’ long wingspan and bouncy shot contest.
However, like most young big men, Sims tends to bite on pump fakes, which can leave him susceptible to leaving his feet — creating easy scoring or passing opportunities while potentially allowing him to fall into foul trouble.
So, what does this mean for the Celtics?
Sims will be a valuable member of the Knicks bench unit. He will provide legitimate rim protection and some reliable PnR defense. However, he can be exploited. He’s still young and has a slight frame. Someone like Neemias Queta should have no problem dislodging him or owning him on the interior around the rim. Of course, Neemy would need to showcase an aggression we’ve yet to see from him if he wanted to dominate that matchup.
Nevertheless, I think Neemy is a solid counter to what Sims provides on defense. Neemy is mobile, athletic, tall, strong and has an endless motor. He’s a solid rim-runner who can bully around the post while controlling the offensive boards.
I do wonder how much playing time Al Horford gets, considering he only played in one of the preseason games. Perhaps he splits some bench minutes with Neemy, allowing Kornet to run with the starters. Horford would be a nightmare matchup for Sims due to his three-level scoring, ability to control the angles, willingness to play through his defender and overall basketball IQ.
If Horford starts, Kornet could potentially be the one who tests Sims ability to contain the short-roll and call out passing lanes for his teammates to close down.
No matter what, there’s a reason Sims wasn’t part of the Knicks rotation during the five games they played against Boston last season. Considering Thibodeau doesn’t have a trusted third big to fall back on, and the team currently has just 12 players on its roster — 15 if you include their three two-way guys.
For what it’s worth, Ariel Hukporti could also see some playing time, but from where I’m sitting, Thibodeau may be better suited to going small if Sims struggles…Maybe Josh Hart at the five? Who knows, but it could get funky.
My projected approach to New York’s current issues would be as follows
- Kornet — Starter.
- Horford — First big off-bench, limited minutes
- Neemy — Fill the minutes that Horford is giving up as he works back to fitness
- Tillman – will likely play more 4 than 5, which is why I haven’t factored him in here.
Mazzulla will likely be experimenting in the opening game anyway, so showing Sims and the rest of the Knicks’ defense multiple different looks would be a smart way to go.
How do you think the Celtics will approach the game, and do you see Achiuwa’s absence as a potential advantage for the Celtics? Let me know in the comments.
CelticsBlog graciously allowed this article to be cross-posted from my “Celtics Chronicle” newsletter.
