New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein was limited to the film room, coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters after Monday, January 22, practice.
Hartenstein left the Knicks’ 126-100 win over the Toronto Raptors on January 20 early after experiencing soreness in his left foot. The German-American center played only 23 minutes and finished with only 1 point and 4 rebounds, snapping a 7-game streak of double-digit rebounding.
“We’ll see where he is [on Tuesday],” Thibodeau said of Hartenstein.
The Knicks will visit their intra-city rivals Brooklyn Nets on January 23 looking to improve on their 9-2 record since acquiring OG Anunoby.
On top of their prized trade acquisition’s seamless fit with the Knicks roster, Hartenstein had also anchored the Knicks’ defense with monster games in Mitchell Robinson’s absence.
The Knicks have officially listed him as questionable for the game against the Nets.
If Hartenstein misses time, Thibodeau is confident Jericho Sims and Precious Achiuwa will step up.
“I love the depth that we have in that position,” Thibodeau said via SNY.
Achiuwa had his best game in a Knicks uniform against his former team. He lit up the Raptors with 18 points and 11 rebounds with 1 block in a season-high 25 minutes.
Achiuwa will likely start if Hartenstein will sit out in Brooklyn, with Sims backing him up.
If push comes to shove, Thibodeau will play Julius Randle and OG Anunoby as center in small-ball lineups.
“Precious played really well in the last game,” Thibodeau added. “We always have the option of Julius for some minutes at the “5” as well as OG.”
Tom Thibodeau Gives Quentin Grimes Advice Amid Trade Rumors
As Quentin Grimes continues to struggle amid rumors that the Knicks have put him on the trade block, Thibodeau gave him a piece of advice on how to tackle it.
“This time of the year, I always say for every 100 trades to get talked about, one gets done,” Thibodeau said when asked if he had conversations with Grimes about the trade rumors. “That’s why I think you stick to your routine. You block out all the outside stuff. Know what’s in front of you and keep your focus there like basketball be your focus.”
Grimes had been demoted to the bench after he publicly griped over his lack of touches with the starting unit. Yet even after the departure of RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, Grimes failed to recover lost ground. He has only scored 4 points on a combined 2 of 13 shooting in 19.5 minutes over his last two games.
Bruce Brown Says He’s a Tom Thibodeau Player
The Knicks and Toronto Raptors’ newly acquired player, Bruce Brown, have a mutual interest.
Brown was recently in town which ended with a Raptors’ 126-100 loss to the Knicks. Before the game, he openly shared why he believes he could seamlessly fit with the Knicks.
“I am a dog,” Brown told New York Post’s Jared Schwartz. “I play extremely hard on both ends of the floor. I can do just about whatever [Tom Thibodeau] needs me to do.”
“Every time we play Thibs, I go up to him and shake his hand, just because of what he’s done,” Brown added. “Nothing but respect for Thibs.”
But a Knicks trade for Brown will ultimately come down to its cost.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Raptors have set a high price for the 6-foot-4 Brown in their bid to add more draft capital from the original Pascal Siakam trade.
“The Raptors’ asking price for teams interested in acquiring Bruce Brown has been described as a future first-round pick and a quality player … at a minimum.
Toronto knows that a variety of contending teams are interested in Brown, noting his contributions to Denver’s title run last season, making the Raptors hopeful they can spark some robust bidding for a player with both championship pedigree and a team-friendly contract,” Stein wrote in his January 21 substack newsletter.
