Toronto Raptors: 3 player comparisons for Precious Achiuwa

The Toronto Raptors were able to take their first look at Precious Achiuwa, who they acquired from the Miami Heat in the Kyle Lowy deal, during a Summer League loss against the Golden State Warriors.

Achiuwa recorded a double-double, scoring 13 points and pulling down 11 boards. In his second game against Houston, Achiuwa continued to be a force on the glass, using his blend of verticality, speed, and versatility to control the paint in a win for Toronto. It’s early, but those two games were encouraging.

Achiuwa might be listed at 6-8, but he is a top-shelf athlete that had the potential to become either a small-ball center, traditional power forward, or oversized small forward depending on how Toronto wants to utilize him. Regardless, the former top recruit and first-round pick in 2020 is just 21 years old, meaning the best is yet to come.

Achiuwa and the Raptors need to watch some film of these 3 players, as it would give all parties a sense of what his floor looks like, his potential within the next few years, and a best-case scenario that ends with him becoming a long-term building block for this franchise.

3 player comparisons for Toronto Raptors big Precious Achiuwa

Low End: Kenneth Faried

A former first-round pick out of Morehead State who spent his formative seasons with the Nuggets, Faried looked like he was going to be a long-term building block at the start of his Denver career, as he averaged 12.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game as a power forward and small-ball center inside.

However, Faried started to wane in effectiveness after signing a long-term contract with Denver. Following a trade to Brooklyn and a Houston stint, his NBA stock has been so damaged that he has had to go to the Summer League in order to rehabilitate it. If Achiuwa doesn’t evolve on offense, this might be his fate.

Precious Achiuwa’s floor could be Kenneth Faried.

There’s nothing wrong with Achiuwa developing into a quality rebounder and interior finisher if the Raptors turn it around and start to compete for championships again. However, given what he has the potential to become, settling into a role as a rim-runner down the line might be a slight disappointment.

Even as Faried was falling out of the league, he rarely even attempted to rise up from 3-point range when he was in the game. We know that Achiuwa can defend, run, and rebound. He should spend as much time as he can working on that shot, lest he ends up underperforming as a big man in Toronto.

Mid Range: Gerald Wallace

The man known as “Crash” became the only player in NBA history to make an All-Star team while the Charlotte franchise was known as the Bobcats. While he never became an elite scorer, he was an elite defender in his prime, and he paired that with a decent 3-point shot and ferocious ability to dunk the basketball.

From 2004 to 2012, the 6-7 Wallace averaged 16.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game while playing power forward, small forward, and even some center in a pinch. With 1.8 steals and 1.1 blocks per game, including one season in which he topped two per game in both categories, Wallace was a quality defender.

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Precious Achiuwa could be a slightly taller Gerald Wallace.

Wallace was never an amazing 3-point shooter, as he shot just 32% with two attempts per game during the aforementioned prime stretch, but he was respectable enough to make defenses worry about him. Achiuwa pairing Wallace-like rim-attacking with a jumper and elite defense would make him a handful on both ends.

Achiuwa was recruited to Memphis as a power forward and played that position to start off in order to make room for James Wiseman. Achiuwa and Wallace have plenty of similarities, but it’s on Nurse and the Raptors to make sure that he fulfills his potential.

High End: Tobias Harris with better defense

Tobias Harris is an average defender, but he offsets that deficiency thanks to a sweet shot from 3-point range, the ability to rebound the basketball at an efficient clip, make key passes to set up his teammates, and run the floor. If Achiuwa improves his shooting, Harris could be a role model.

Harris has averaged 18.7 points per game over the last five seasons, and the fact that he has started shooting more 3-pointers with an on-target rate of 38% hasn’t had a huge impact on his 48% success rate from the field. A 3-point shot could turn Achiuwa into an offensive player of Harris’ ilk with enough developmental time.

Tobias Harris stands out as what Precious Achiuwa could develop into.

Achiuwa doesn’t need to turn into prime Dirk, but a respectable 3-point shot with a few attempts per game should be enough to draw defenders out of the paint. Uncommonly agile for someone his size, Achiuwa could go to town on slower bigs. Harris has already given him the blueprint.

Achiuwa might not score like Faried, Harris, or Wallace this season given the fact that he is expected to be the backup to Khem Birch, but he should be in line for a decent amount of responsibility on both ends of the floor. With so many talented coaches behind him, we may see one of the best versions of Achiuwa this year.