The New York Knicks have so many injuries.
However, even though their injury report has rarely been blank this season, the Knicks have leaned into the resilience that is customary of a team led by coach Tom Thibodeau. This required the Knicks to adopt the familiar “next man up” mentality. With that also came a call for sacrifice.
As Thibodeau says, “Whoever got it going, that’s where we’re going,” according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.
“Some nights it’s not your night, it’s someone else’s night and then you put the team first. Everyone sacrifices themselves. And that’s exactly what we’ve been doing all year.”
This season, such sacrifices have led to the removal of players like Precious Achiuwa from the starting lineup. Starting in place of injured OG Anunoby, Achiuwa’s physical profile and skill set make him more similar to Julius Randle than their star 3-and-D wing. That said, Achiuwa started in place of their All-Star forward after going out with a dislocated shoulder in late January.
Supplanted in the starting lineup by Anunoby, Achiuwa never regained his spot when his longtime teammate left with elbow pain. Instead, third-year guard Miles McBride got the call. The change seemed strategic.