Precious Achiuwa

[getrichordie]

PRECIOUS ACHIUWA
Forward, Memphis Tigers
6'9" // 245 lbs. // 7'2.25" wingspan // 9'0" vertical reach

Watch on YouTube

offense

Achiuwa has virtually zero offensive game in the half court. His touch around the basket is quite awful. His jumper isn't consistent. About the only thing he does well is catch lobs and clean up misses. A lot of those misses are his own, so his rebound numbers are quite inflated. His transition game is another story. When he gets a head of steam, he draws a lot fouls, but isn't able to capitalize on them due to his poor free-throw shooting (60%). His passing and dribbling is virtually non-existent. This kid couldn't make an entry pass to save his life. His dribble is so loose that he makes 5'11 defenders look like Tony Allen. Also, his hands aren't the greatest as he has shown he routinely loses control of the ball, but has shown the ability to soundly catch entry passes when bothered by the opposing defender (similar to Stewart but not as good).

defense

Achiuwa oozes potential on the defensive end. His length and big body is often too much to overcome for most players on the perimeter, in mid-range, or in the post. He does sometimes struggle to recover against quicker guards, but has shown improvement in that area. He needs improvement on his footwork and closeouts, but I'm confident that he will continue to make strides on that end with NBA coaching. His long arms allows him to get his finger on a lot of balls shooting through the passing lane. This is where he's at his best -- playing the transition game following a turnover. This is the only time you'll see him make a nice, quick hit-ahead pass.

comp = jerami grant
projected range = middle of the 2nd

Spoiler:

[baldur]

i would select him with the 31st pick for sure if he is still available.

[No-Man]

projected range middle of the 2nd is obviously really wrong, he has been coveted since HS and has been projected to be a top20 pick by people with sources all year long

[Ruzious]

PRECIOUS ACHIUWA
Forward, Memphis Tigers
6'9" // 245 lbs. // 7'2.25" wingspan // 9'0" vertical reach

Watch on YouTube

offense

Achiuwa has virtually zero offensive game in the half court. His touch around the basket is quite awful. His jumper isn't consistent. About the only thing he does well is catch lobs and clean up misses. A lot of those misses are his own, so his rebound numbers are quite inflated. His transition game is another story. When he gets a head of steam, he draws a lot fouls, but isn't able to capitalize on them due to his poor free-throw shooting (60%). His passing and dribbling is virtually non-existent. This kid couldn't make an entry pass to save his life. His dribble is so loose that he makes 5'11 defenders look like Tony Allen. Also, his hands aren't the greatest as he has shown he routinely loses control of the ball, but has shown the ability to soundly catch entry passes when bothered by the opposing defender (similar to Stewart but not as good).

defense

Achiuwa oozes potential on the defensive end. His length and big body is often too much to overcome for most players on the perimeter, in mid-range, or in the post. He does sometimes struggle to recover against quicker guards, but has shown improvement in that area. He needs improvement on his footwork and closeouts, but I'm confident that he will continue to make strides on that end with NBA coaching. His long arms allows him to get his finger on a lot of balls shooting through the passing lane. This is where he's at his best -- playing the transition game following a turnover. This is the only time you'll see him make a nice, quick hit-ahead pass.

comp = jerami grant
projected range = middle of the 2nd

Spoiler:

The spoiler was funny. Grant's a pretty good comp, but don't you think Grant would be more than a mid 2nd rounder in this draft? His explosiveness combined with his length make him an intriguing prospect. It would have been interesting to see how he and Wiseman would have blended.

[getrichordie]

PRECIOUS ACHIUWA
Forward, Memphis Tigers
6'9" // 245 lbs. // 7'2.25" wingspan // 9'0" vertical reach

Watch on YouTube

offense

Achiuwa has virtually zero offensive game in the half court. His touch around the basket is quite awful. His jumper isn't consistent. About the only thing he does well is catch lobs and clean up misses. A lot of those misses are his own, so his rebound numbers are quite inflated. His transition game is another story. When he gets a head of steam, he draws a lot fouls, but isn't able to capitalize on them due to his poor free-throw shooting (60%). His passing and dribbling is virtually non-existent. This kid couldn't make an entry pass to save his life. His dribble is so loose that he makes 5'11 defenders look like Tony Allen. Also, his hands aren't the greatest as he has shown he routinely loses control of the ball, but has shown the ability to soundly catch entry passes when bothered by the opposing defender (similar to Stewart but not as good).

defense

Achiuwa oozes potential on the defensive end. His length and big body is often too much to overcome for most players on the perimeter, in mid-range, or in the post. He does sometimes struggle to recover against quicker guards, but has shown improvement in that area. He needs improvement on his footwork and closeouts, but I'm confident that he will continue to make strides on that end with NBA coaching. His long arms allows him to get his finger on a lot of balls shooting through the passing lane. This is where he's at his best -- playing the transition game following a turnover. This is the only time you'll see him make a nice, quick hit-ahead pass.

comp = jerami grant
projected range = middle of the 2nd

Spoiler:

The spoiler was funny. Grant's a pretty good comp, but don't you think Grant would be more than a mid 2nd rounder in this draft? His explosiveness combined with his length make him an intriguing prospect. It would have been interesting to see how he and Wiseman would have blended.

Grant went #39 in his respective draft. I have Achiuwa as worse than him. He is just really really raw and has a low BBIQ.

[Catchall]

Achiuwa shows really impressive timing and instincts on defense, he moves his feet really well, and he's more athletic than you think. How he measures will be important, as he really needs to play the 5 the way the league has been headed. I would draft him in the 25-30 range. He's probably an energy big off the bench until it's clear what his go-to offensive skill is going to be.

[getrichordie]

Achiuwa shows really impressive timing and instincts on defense, he moves his feet really well, and he's more athletic than you think. How he measures will be important, as he really needs to play the 5 the way the league has been headed. I would draft him in the 25-30 range. He's probably an energy big off the bench until it's clear what his go-to offensive skill is going to be.

He has shown flashes of things but nothing consistent at all except for being athletic in transition.

I think his defensive impact at the next level will be good, but it’s going to take a lot of work for him to be great. And I think there is a legit chance that he could be a black hole on offense which would negate his defensive ability limiting his ceiling to a 7th or 8th man off the bench.

You can just find better value in that range IMHO.

[clyde21]

no, Achiuwa is not a 5, at least not in large doses, he's a defensive combo-forward in the Jerami Grant mold

not sure why people keep trying to put him at the 5, you're literally taking away what he does best when you do that.

[Klomp]

no, Achiuwa is not a 5, at least not in large doses, he's a defensive combo-forward in the Jerami Grant mold

not sure why people keep trying to put him at the 5, you're literally taking away what he does best when you do that.

This is a big part of why I was a bit disappointed when Wiseman left school early. I think that actually did Precious a disservice because it put him out of position.

I think he would've been viewed as a top 5-10 pick had he shared the floor with Wiseman. While it wouldn't necessarily have helped him offensively, it would've highlighted more of his defensive versatility rather than just sticking him on the opponents' centers.

[No-Man]

no, Achiuwa is not a 5, at least not in large doses, he's a defensive combo-forward in the Jerami Grant mold

not sure why people keep trying to put him at the 5, you're literally taking away what he does best when you do that.

This is a big part of why I was a bit disappointed when Wiseman left school early. I think that actually did Precious a disservice because it put him out of position.

I think he would've been viewed as a top 5-10 pick had he shared the floor with Wiseman. While it wouldn't necessarily have helped him offensively, it would've highlighted more of his defensive versatility rather than just sticking him on the opponents' centers.

You got it all wrong, it actually helped Precious, who is def a college Center, shine and be at his best, it'd have been messy with both of them playing together

[getrichordie]

no, Achiuwa is not a 5, at least not in large doses, he's a defensive combo-forward in the Jerami Grant mold

not sure why people keep trying to put him at the 5, you're literally taking away what he does best when you do that.

This is a big part of why I was a bit disappointed when Wiseman left school early. I think that actually did Precious a disservice because it put him out of position.

I think he would've been viewed as a top 5-10 pick had he shared the floor with Wiseman. While it wouldn't necessarily have helped him offensively, it would've highlighted more of his defensive versatility rather than just sticking him on the opponents' centers.

You got it all wrong, it actually helped Precious, who is def a college Center, shine and be at his best, it'd have been messy with both of them playing together

Memphis still would have been better with Wiseman, but yeah, I agree here. Precious has no outside game whatsoever and teams that did their due diligence would help off of him to put pressure on Wiseman. There would have been zero spacing.

This only helped Precious’ stock, albeit by not much, in my opinion. It showed he could be a defensive presence in the post in college and that he his a gifted rebounder, but it also helped to highlight a lot of his flaws on the offensive end.

[Klomp]

You got it all wrong, it actually helped Precious, who is def a college Center, shine and be at his best, it'd have been messy with both of them playing together

Memphis still would have been better with Wiseman, but yeah, I agree here. Precious has no outside game whatsoever and teams that did their due diligence would help off of him to put pressure on Wiseman. There would have been zero spacing.

This only helped Precious’ stock, albeit by not much, in my opinion. It showed he could be a defensive presence in the post in college and that he his a gifted rebounder, but it also helped to highlight a lot of his flaws on the offensive end.

To me, his greatest stock comes from his defensive mobility. I think showcasing that would've outshined any offensive limitations. We didn't get to see a ton of him in the 3/4 role he'll play in the NBA, because he was always guarding 5s.

[No-Man]

Precious ain't going to play any 3 my man, he will play PF/C in NBA, that's his role, that's what sells him as a prospect

[EvanZ]

I think even seeing him as a 4 is a stretch (no pun intended).

[clyde21]

how is he not a 4 in the nba? lol

i get everyone has the itch now to move everyone up a position but not the case every time. again, he's Jerami Grant, who plays the majority of his possessions at the 4.

[getrichordie]

You are what you can defend. Achiuwa is best suited defending 4s at the next level. He can defend some 5s too. Especially like his potential as a small ball 5. I can see Houston jumping on him.

[Catchall]

I think he can contain wings on switches, but I'm not sure he should be playing on the perimeter defensively all the time, and I'm not sure his offensive skill set would be conducive to playing on the perimeter either. There's not enough pass-dribble-shoot to his game at this stage to put him in that position, imo.

I think teams are going to want to play him in a Derrick Favors-type role both running and defending pick-and-rolls. He may be able to play at the 4 as a primary roll-man, like Dwight Powell does. However, to do that he's going to need to play with a 5 who is a stretch shooter like Dallas has (Kleber and Porzingis) to make that work well.

The same can probably be said for Isaiah Stewart at Washington.

[getrichordie]

I think he can contain wings on switches, but I'm not sure he should be playing on the perimeter defensively all the time, and I'm not sure his offensive skill set would be conducive to playing on the perimeter either. There's not enough pass-dribble-shoot to his game at this stage to put him in that position, imo.

I think teams are going to want to play him in a Derrick Favors-type role both running and defending pick-and-rolls. He may be able to play at the 4 as a primary roll-man, like Dwight Powell does. However, to do that he's going to need to play with a 5 who is a stretch shooter like Dallas has (Kleber and Porzingis) to make that work well.

The same can probably be said for Isaiah Stewart at Washington.

There is no PDS in his game!!! Lol.

[clyde21]

Stewart is for sure a 5, but Precious is a 4, yea he doesn't much of a dribble or creation game, but he doesn't have much of an inside game either other than catching a couple of lobs or put backs, his real value as a player is running the floor and guarding combo forwards, you put him inside on an Embiid or Gobert or Jokic and you're completely negating what he does well

don't over think this

[Klomp]

Stewart is for sure a 5, but Precious is a 4, yea he doesn't much of a dribble or creation game, but he doesn't have much of an inside game either other than catching a couple of lobs or put backs, his real value as a player is running the floor and guarding combo forwards, you put him inside on an Embiid or Gobert or Jokic and you're completely negating what he does well

don't over think this

Which is why I would call Achiuwa more of a 4/3 than a 4/5. No, he won't play a ton at SF in today's NBA, but it's more about his ability to switch onto the perimeter if necessary. If I'm calling someone a 4/5, I don't think they likely have that ability.