Jericho

Sims

Sims received the starting nod on Friday, as the Knicks were without Karl-Anthony Towns (wrist). Unfortunately, it didn’t take long to realize why there wasn’t much to gain from streaming him. Rookie Ariel Hukport (seven points, four rebounds, three assists, and four blocks) outplayed Sims and, as a result, played 30 minutes. If Towns remains sidelined for Sunday’s rematch with the Nets, Hukporti will be more worthy of a look than Sims in deep leagues.

Brunson is available to play in Friday’s game, but Karl-Anthony Towns (wrist) is not. As a result, Sims will start, but he is a risky streaming play. The opportunity to produce will undoubtedly be there, but Sims hasn’t offered much value when given the chance to start. Look for Ariel Hukporti to play rotation minutes off the bench.

Towns injured his non-shooting wrist during Wednesday’s win over the Heat, his best performance since the Knicks acquired him from the Timberwolves. While KAT apparently played through the issue in Miami, he’s questionable for Friday. Jericho Sims would be the next man up if Towns cannot play, but he doesn’t offer much value as a streamer. The same can be said for rookie Ariel Hukporti.

Achiuwa joins Mitchell Robinson (ankle) as big men who will miss the start of the season for New York. Josh Hart should see ample playing time, and Jericho Sims could be in line for meaningful rotation minutes for as long as Achiuwa and Robinson are sidelined.

The Knicks don’t want to rush Robinson back to the lineup, which means that they’ll have to turn to other options at center. Precious Achiuwa should get the first crack at extra minutes and could slide into the starting unit, which makes him an intriguing late-round target. Jericho Sims should also provide some center depth, but he won’t play enough minutes to be worth drafting. Julius Randle may also see some minutes as the center in smaller lineups, which should be intriguing for his fantasy value. They’ll still need Achiuwa and Sims to combat some of the bigger centers, but they don’t have any plans to make a trade for another big at this time.

Friday was the deadline for the Knicks to decide on Sims’ salary for the upcoming season, which was only partially guaranteed. Since the 2021 second-round pick was not waived by the end of the day, his contract is fully guaranteed. While Sims is not a player who needs to be selected in fantasy drafts, the combination of Isaiah Hartenstein’s departure and Mitchell Robinson’s injury history means he could have streaming value at various points in the season.

Hartenstein is heading back West after multiple seasons in New York. He was excellent when Mitchell Robinson was out last season, and now he’ll fill out the center minutes behind Chet Holmgren. Hartenstein will provide OKC with a bigger center to help match up with players like Nikola Jokic out West. He won’t be as productive in fantasy, but he will be an important part of the team’s rotation. In New York, Robinson and Jericho Sims are the only centers currently on the roster. That could mean that another move is coming for them, but right now, it’s looking like Robinson will see a minutes boost.

Sims hasn’t played in the playoffs yet and isn’t likely to be a factor in Game 6.

Sims hasn’t played in a playoff game yet this year and isn’t likely to be part of the rotation on Tuesday.

As Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said on Saturday, Robinson did go through a pregame routine on Sunday afternoon. However, the ankle did not react as the Knicks hoped it would, so Robinson will not play. Precious Achiuwa and Jericho Sims will factor into the rotation, but New York really needs Isaiah Hartenstein to avoid foul trouble.