The New York Knicks have assembled their deepest and most talented roster in years, but there’s still a troubling hole at center.
With the departure of Isaiah Hartenstein, the Knicks now have a center rotation of Mitchell Robinson, Precious Achiuwa and Jericho Sims. They also have rookie center Ariel Hukporti, who signed a two-way contract.
There are concerns about this rotation. Robinson is a talented and efficient big man, but injury-prone. Achiuwa is slightly smaller for a center and more of a forward-center hybrid. Sims has the frame of a traditional center, but he’s still raw and relatively untested entering his fourth season.
If Robinson and Achiuwa can stay healthy, the Knicks’ center rotation will likely be pretty good, especially if they spend some minutes playing “small” with Julius Randle and OG Anunoby as the “big men.”
However, the Knicks are just one injury away from facing a full-blown crisis at center. If Robinson misses significant time, the Knicks’ depth up front would be severely tested.
But there is some good news for worried Knicks fans: Various reports suggest that the Knicks are well aware that they may need reinforcements at the center position.
Reports have linked them to Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler, although Kessler may be out of their price range for a trade.
SNY’s Ian Begley also reported The Knicks have had discussions with the Atlanta Hawks about veteran center Clint Capela. It’s unclear how far those discussions went or how a trade might have played out.
In addition, on Friday, Begley reported in a Mail column that as of late August, the Knicks were “still exploring the market for a veteran center.”
Begley reports that the Knicks considered adding young backup centers like Bruno Fernando and Omer Yurtseven, though the deals never came to fruition.
With training camp less than a month away, the Knicks could wait and see how their centers fare. Robinson is still recovering from ankle surgery, but he could make a strong comeback once healthy. Achiuwa and Sims could both make leaps as backup centers. Thibodeau could be comfortable playing in smaller lineups, which would allow the Knicks to play more of their wings and maximize their shooting, ball-handling and perimeter defense.
But they will have the opportunity to add talent. Achiuwa’s $6 million salary this season is essentially a bargaining chip. The Knicks could add players as part of a deal to bring back a higher-paid center.
As Fred Katz of The Athletic notedThe Knicks could also explore the buyout market in February. The Knicks still have their $5 million mid-level exception, which could be a valuable resource if a good veteran center becomes available.
The Knicks have a deep enough roster and enough talent that their weak center rotation isn’t an emergency right now. But the team seems to know it’s an area that needs improvement if it hopes to compete at the highest level.
