Precious Achiuwa couldn’t have landed in a better place.
The weekend’s blockbuster deal between the Knicks and the Raptors sent the Nigerian-born center back to play where he once learned the game.
“I’m very excited to be back home in front of my family, friends that I grew up with,” said Achiuwa — whose family moved to New York while he was in middle school — before the Knicks’ 112-106 win over the Timberwolves on Monday afternoon. “Really, really a very exciting opportunity and I’m looking forward to it.”
Achiuwa attended Our Savior Lutheran in The Bronx as well as St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark. He was also a frequent visitor to Madison Square Garden, including a few times to watch older brother God’sgift Achiuwa play for St. John’s between 2011 and 2014.
“I mean you talk about basketball at the highest level, this is one of the first places that comes to people’s minds, the mecca of basketball,” he said. “Me being able to play in the Garden and not just in the Garden, but also in front of my family and friends, means a lot to me.”
Achiuwa said he has already started receiving ticket requests.
Coming to the Knicks, he made it clear he didn’t see himself in a certain spot in the rotation, whether at center or power forward, and was ready to take on whatever role coach Tom Thibodeau needed.
“We just got here. So, we’re still learning, myself and the other guys. So, we’re gonna do what we can with the best of our abilities to fit into his philosophy and his style, you know, defensively,” Achiuwa said. “We’re just gonna continue to get better and go from there.”
He got his feet wet briefly in the first quarter, subbing in for Isaiah Hartenstein, in place of backup big man Taj Gibson, although at a rather undersized 6-foot-8.
Achiuwa returned in the fourth quarter. He went 0 of 2 from the field and grabbed three rebounds across nine minutes. He outplayed Gibson, who only entered in the final seconds of the first half.
Jalen Brunson commended new teammates Achiuwa and OG Anunoby, who tallied 17 points and six rebounds across 35 minutes, for hitting the ground running in their first game.
“Thibs just loves his players who obviously play hard and all that stuff,” Brunson said after the 112-106 victory. “And so [Anunoby] brings it naturally. Precious brings it naturally as well. So, I mean, when you’re playing as hard as you can for your teammates, I mean, all that other stuff, it’s minimal.”