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The New York Knicks are bringing back a familiar face.
The team is signing free agent center Taj Gibson to a one-year deal, Gibson’s agent told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Gibson, 38, played for the Knicks between the 2019-20 and 2021-22 seasons.
He didn’t make a huge impact in his time with the Knicks, putting up 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 18.3 minutes per game.
It’s fair to question how much Gibson has left in the tank after managing just 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game across 49 contests for the Washington Wizards last season.
But the Knicks needed depth on the block after center Mitchell Robinson suffered a stress fracture in his left ankle, an injury expected to keep him out of action for at least two months.
“He covers up for a lot of our mistakes,” power forward Julius Randle told reporters regarding Robinson, “but we’ll figure it out.”
Jericho Sims got the start at the 5 in the team’s first game without Robinson, a 136-130 win over the Toronto Raptors, though Isaiah Hartenstein ended up playing more minutes and had a better showing (11 points, eight boards, two steals, two assists and a block in 27 minutes).
Sims managed just two points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes. Hartenstein will likely continue to come off the bench but earn a larger share of the minutes, with Thibodeau showing a tendency in the past to keep the second unit together.
“I’ve always been ready for this opportunity. I think I’ve shown I can be in this role,” Hartenstein told reporters this week. “At the end of the day, we are going to miss Mitch a lot. But I’m ready—I’m ready for whatever [Thibodeau] has in mind for me. … Last season, half of the games I would finish games. I’m used to this role, so I’m excited for it.”
That duo likely will handle the majority of minutes at center, with Gibson out of the rotation unless one of Sims or Hartenstein suffers an injury or gets into foul trouble. The Knicks could also play small for stretches, though the addition of Gibson likely means the team won’t go that route often, if at all.
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