It's been a couple years since Jordan Bachynski finished his collegiate career at Arizona State. Since then, he has seen his basketball career take him from Turkey to Westchester, New York. While Bachynski played 18 games during the Knicks' inaugural season, he showed improvement and confidence during the 2015-16 campaign. While he had a solid initial season, he still stood under the radar before the 2015-16 season.
Coming out of Arizona State, Jordan Bachynski was a defensive presence. His accolades at Arizona State are cemented -- 2014 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and 2014 NCAA season blocks leader. The Canadian native brought his defense to Westchester and it did not go unnoticeable. The Knicks center blocked 2.3 shots per contest, which was forth most in the D-League. Alongside that, he notched a few game winning blocks in the process.
Those electrifying blocked shots helped push the Knicks big to be known as "BLOCKcynski"
Just another day at the office for @BLOCKchynski.
— Westchester Knicks (@wcknicks) February 26, 2025
FULL: https://t.co/mnkcKXvHOU pic.twitter.com/5fpbRWeps6
During his first full season in Westchester, Bachynski started to develop an offensive game. He wasn't know as an offensive player during his collegiate years, but the former Arizona State product made strides in that area. Travis Trice and Jimmer Fredette started to find Bachynski in the right situations, which gave him an opportunity to showcase his offensive skill. Bachynski averaged 13.1 points and 7 boards on 58% shooting, which allowed him to be one of the D-League's best offensive bigs.
When the bright lights were on, Jordan Bachynski shined. He had a solid performance at the D-League Showcase. The center notched a 24 point, 12 rebound and 6 block performance in a game against the Reno Bighorns. His improvement on offense didn't go unnoticed. By combining those defensive improvements with an already refined offensive game, the 7'2" center was named to the D-League All-Star Game. While fellow Knicks teammate Jimmer Fredette shined with a stellar 35 point performance, Bachynski was able to get 10 points on 5-7 shooting in the 13 minutes he was on the court.
Bachynski has the perfect opportunity to show that he make it into the NBA. He showed himself as one of the best defensive bigs in the entire D-League with offensive skills to match. Bachynski established himself as a solid mid-range shooter while being a trusty low-post weapon.
There is no question that Jordan Bachynski is a talented basketball player. Bachynski can be a force in the paint and can swat away a shot at a moment's notice. By averaging 3.1 blocks per 36 minutes, the Knicks big solidified himself as one of the best defensive forces in the D-League. That's why he is known as "BLOCKchynski" and deserves a chance in the NBA. If he can't latch onto an NBA next season, there's a chance the Canadian native ends up overseas next season, if the situation is right. Only time will tell, but there is no question "BLOCKchynski" will be blocking shots next season.
