Why I Am Excited About Precious Achiuwa & You Should Be Too
Precious Achiuwa has the skill set to help improve the Raptors defense and rebounding
Precious Achiuwa fits the Raptors roster perfectly
Last year we saw the Raptors struggle and it was in large part because of issues with guarding the paint, rebounding, and overall production from the Center position. In previous years, our guards could run the pick and roll confidently knowing Gasol or Ibaka would be able to finish in the paint or at the top of the key. Unfortunately, they did not have this luxury last year.
Both Baynes and Len struggled on both sides of the ball to work within the Raptors system and produce.
Once Birch and Gillespie joined the team we saw an immediate improvement in defense, rebounding, and overall competitiveness. However, neither Birch nor Gillespie have ever been regular starters at the NBA level. If our goal is to compete for another championship we may want to have more depth at our Center and Power Forward positions.
Enter a player like Precious Achiuwa who instantly improves our interior defense, rebounding, and pick-and-roll offense.
From a defensive standpoint, he has a very mobile and strong physique, along with tremendous athleticism. He can be a rim protector and has the versatility to switch on the pick and roll. His 225lb 6–8' frame, with a 7'1.5 wingspan, can be a real terror on the defensive end blocking shots, getting deflections, and steals. It remains to be seen how much of a defensive anchor he can be, but over 61 games last year, he averaged 1 steal and 1.4 blocks per 36 minutes.
But no defensive possession is complete unless you can come up with the rebound and this is another area where Achiuwa excels. He averaged 10.1 rebounds (including 6.6 defensive rebounds) per 36 minutes. His game sort of reminds me of Kenneth Faried who was a prolific rebounder in his prime.
Offensively, Achiuwa is a very physical player who rolls hard to the rim and finishes with force through contact. I believe he can be the best pick and roll partner our guards have had since Jonas Valanciunas (Gasol and Ibaka both preferred to pick and pop instead). Also, because he is a strong rebounder he will be able to generate 2nd chance points by getting on the offensive glass and creating more possessions for his team.
Basically, he is exactly the type of big the Raptors value. A player who can guard multiple positions, rebound well, and put pressure on opposing defenses by getting on the glass, setting screens, and rolling hard to the basket.
Achiuwa Has Tremendous Upside
It’s hard to believe that Achiuwa is only 21 years old when you look at his 225lb “built like a rock” frame. But he is only a second-year NBA player and that means his game is still improving.
What’s exciting is he has a relentless motor and is a high-energy athlete who can play above the rim. He is highly active, whether it is on the offensive end by setting screens and rebounding, or on the defensive side where he can guard at least 3–4 positions.
Masai Ujiri has always been very consistent about the players he has drafted or targeted in one way: their work ethic, guys like Siakam, OG, and Fred Van Vleet became who they are because they paid the price in the gym. Achiuwa appears to be no different, his coach at Montverde Academy was raving about how hard he works and his attitude.
One would assume an organization like Miami which prides itself on defense, toughness, and physicality would have done a decent job of teaching defensive fundamentals to Achiuwa in the one year he spent there. In college and high school, he was a defensive force.
What surprised me about him in Summer League though, was just how comfortable he was handling the ball in the perimeter. For a PF or C, he had guard-like skills away from the basket. I can see him taking the ball up on the fast break after securing a defensive rebound, and stuffing it down the opponent's throat. Something Nurse loves to see from his bigs.
He even managed to make half the threes he took (going 2 of 4) in the few games he played in Las Vegas. If he can develop a reliable corner 3 point shot and bring his free throw shooting percentage to over 70%, he can become a valuable piece for the Raptors offensively.
Achiuwa is a highly skilled player with potentially a lot of upside.
I don't really see him as an all-star level scorer, but his ceiling could be like a Ben Wallace or Ron Artest. Both of them have won the defensive player of the year award and are NBA champions.
For those reasons, Precious Achiuwa will be a fan favorite next year, just like Biyombo was but with potentially much more skill.
