Precious Achiuwa Caps Return to Toronto, New York Knicks' Blowout in Style
There's going in style and then there's what Precious Achiuwa did on Wednesday night against the Toronto Raptors.
Achiuwa put the perfect bow on the New York Knicks' latest gift to their fans, a 145-101 shellacking of the Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. The metropolitan reserve livened up the otherwise meaningless penultimate minute of play with a rousing slam dunk over Mouhamadou Gueye, creating a viral moment for anyone left in Ontario's seating section ... mostly visiting Knicks fans ... to take home with them.
Those final two points allowed Achiuwa to cap off a sterling evening against his former employers in style, as the former Raptor had 19 points and 12 rebounds in 27 minutes of relief.
"When he plays aggressively, when he rebounds the ball, when he keeps the game simple, he’s an extremely good player," awed Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said in the aftermath, per Gilbert Ngabo of the Toronto Star. "I think it’s him realizing what he needs to do and what it takes to stay on the court, and that’s doing what he does the best."
Wednesday marked the Knicks' first visit to Toronto since a Dec. 30 trade sent Achiuwa, OG Anunoby, and Malachi Flynn to Manhattan. With the Knicks dealing homegrown franchise faces RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley up north, Achiuwa was perhaps a bit of an afterthought, especially considering he and Flynn were stuck to the bench while Anunoby helped New York get off to a scorching start in the new calendar year.
Much has changed since then: Achiuwa was the only one from the December trade that partook in Wednesday's game, as Anunoby is hurt, Barrett and Quickley sat for personal reasons, and Flynn has been traded. Achiuwa has also become one of the substitute saviors that have kept the Knicks afloat in the wake of injures to several starters. Since Jan. 20 (the landmark ironically being another showdown with the Raptors), Achiuwa is averaging 10.6 points and 9.2 rebounds amidst a 19-11 stretch that has thrust New York into the Eastern Conference's top three.
“He’s still young enough where he can grow, and I think he’s adding a lot to our team, and we needed it (when) we’ve been down bodies,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said, per Ngabo. “He stepped in and did a terrific job.”
Coming to view Achiuwa as a metropolitan cult hero of sorts, Knicks fans probably hope that his viral dunk wasn't the last they'll see of him, as New York's interior picture is about to be blessedly cursed: Wednesday marked the return of starting center Mitchell Robinson after a 50-game and Thibodeau's sets have often centered (pun intended) on two pure big men, which figure to be Robinson and his stating lineup replacement Isaiah Hartenstein.
Achiuwa, a first-round pick from the 2020 draft, has kept things relatively mum, opting to enjoy this New York ride no matter how long it lasts.
"“It’s been good," Achiuwa said in Ngabo's report. "I can’t really complain.”
Achiuwa figures to be a part of the Knicks' rotation as Robinson continues to rediscover his footing. New York wraps up a brief road trip on Friday when it faces the San Antonio Spurs (8 p.m. ET, MSG).
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI
Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks