Could Sims Develop Into a Stud (on discount contract)?
Could Sims Develop Into a Stud (on discount contract)?
Sims attempted a grand total of 54 shots during the 2021-22 regular season with the Knicks. Of those 54 FG attempts, 51 were dunks or layups.
Stoicism is an ancient Hellenistic philosophy believed to have been founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens, Greece, around 300 BC. This school of thought taught that virtue is based on knowledge and is indifferent to the vicissitudes of fortune and to pleasure and pain. Emperor Marcus Aurelius (who presided over Rome from 161 to 180 and was the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age of relative peace and stability for the Roman Empire) was an ardent adherent of the tenets of Stoicism.
Jericho Sims never shows any emotion while he's competing. He doesn't smile on the basketball court. He doesn't pout. Put succinctly, he's incredibly "stoic." I'd wager that Sims is what Marcus Aurelius would have envisioned as a perfect soldier. And based on his play over the first few days in Vegas, Sims may become a trusted combatant in coach Tom Thibodeau's troop.
After a strong Summer League debut, Sims was back at it on Sunday night, tallying 11 points (on 5-of-6 shooting), ten rebounds and three assists in the Knicks' 101-69 demolition of the Chicago Bulls.
Yet, it wasn't merely the stats that stood out; it was the ways in which he poured in those points.
First, let's note that Sims attempted a total of 54 shots in the 555 minutes he logged during the 2021-22 regular season with the Knicks. Of those 54 field goal attempts, 51 were dunks or layups. Sims attempted only a single shot outside the paint.
As a rookie, once he crossed halfcourt, his job was to rim run, stand in the dunker's spot and chase offensive rebounds.
However, the 23-year-old has showcased enticing growth and improvement on the offensive end over New York's first two contests in Las Vegas. Yes, he's used his incredible athleticism to catch a few alley-oops high above the rim. And he continues to set rock-solid screens (I hope Mitch Robinson was watching and taking notes from the same Taj Gibson School of Screening). But Sims has also shown he can put the ball on the floor. On several occasions, he has grabbed a defensive rebound and taken the ball up the floor himself before handing it off to a guard in the frontcourt.
"I've been working on pushing the ball in transition a little bit, trying to get more comfortable doing that again, making the right reads," Sims told the New York Post, adding, "It's good that they know what kind of player I can be."
The Knicks coaching staff has also given Sims the freedom to create his own shot on occasion in Sin City.
Late in the second quarter of the Chicago game, Sims caught the ball at the top of the key and crossed up his defender before utilizing a spin to create space and sinking a short floater.
Remember that Sims dribbled more than once before attempting a shot just one time during his entire rookie season.
Over the weekend, we also got details regarding the three-year contract Sims signed earlier in the week. According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, here's the annual breakdown:
2022-23: $1.6 million
2023-24: $1.9 million
2024-25: $2.1 million
Katz adds that the second season is only partially guaranteed (for $600K), and the third year has a team option and is also partially guaranteed.
This deal definitely qualifies as a team-friendly contract and incredible value for New York. Sims has shown he is, at worst, capable of filling in as a part-time contributor. Last season, New York allowed fewer than 103 points per 100 possessions with Sims on the floor and nearly 111 points with Sims on the bench. His Net Rating of +6.5 was the third-highest among New York's rotation regulars (behind only Obi Toppin and IQ). Bottom line, any time you can lock up a potentially reliable role player for $2 million or less, that's a win.
Should Sims continue to round out his game and develop on his current trajectory, that contract could be considered an absolute steal. New York paying the tandem of Sims and Isaiah Hartenstein less than $10 million COMBINED over the next two seasons to back-up Mitchell Robinson gives the Knicks incredible depth behind the injury-prone Mitch Rob, as well as flexibility in potential trades.
Through the two games New York has played in Vegas, Sims is averaging 13.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.5 dimes and 1.0 blocks, while shooting a scorching 85.7% from the floor. On the flip side of the coin, he is just 3-of-8 from the free-throw line and has committed seven turnovers.
In addition to the surprising progress alluded to above, we've also seen Sims take advantage of his insane medley of size and athleticism on both ends of the floor. At times, he has looked like a man playing against high school kids, simply jumping over would-be defenders and skying over other bigs to grab rebounds.
On the Knicks' first possessions of the second half, Sims had his head above the rim as he finished a beautiful pass from Quentin Grimes with an And-1:
He punched home another dunk off a Grimes dish in the second quarter:
(Wait a minute… Were those two great passes both from Grimes, the same guy who has poured in 48 points through two games? Yup, which we will talk about tomorrow.)
And, of course, after each of those finishes, Sims simply turned tail and stoically ran back on defense. Zeno and Marcus Aurelius would be proud.
(As a randomly added addendum, here are a couple of quotes via Aurelius in his seminal work The Meditations:
“The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.”
“The only wealth which you will keep forever is the wealth you have given away.”)