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Fansided

Handing out Toronto Raptors awards after awesome 2021-22

By Mike Luciano

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 15: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks goes to the basket against Fred VanVleet #23 and Pascal Siakam #43 of the Toronto Raptors (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 15: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks goes to the basket against Fred VanVleet #23 and Pascal Siakam #43 of the Toronto Raptors (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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Precious Achiuwa, Toronto Raptors
TORONTO, ON – MARCH 26: Precious Achiuwa #5 of the Toronto Raptors (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) /

Most Improved: Precious Achiuwa

Gary Trent Jr. had a very compelling case for this spot, but he was already a productive player for Portland and Toronto before breaking out this year. Achiuwa was a question mark heading into the year and a negative asset early on, but he’s transformed into a lethal 3-and-D big man.

Achiuwa averaged 12.2 points per game since the All-Star break while nailing 39% of his 3-pointers. When paired with amazing on-ball defense and his ability to switch to multiple positions on defense, the vision Masai Ujiri saw when Achiuwa was acquired from the Heat is coming to reality.

Precious Achiuwa has boosted the Toronto Raptors’ bench.

During his rookie year in Miami, Achiuwa attempted just one 3-pointer. Toronto tried to make him an athletic rim-runner during the first half of the season. Rather than fitting a square peg into a round hole, Toronto leaned into the full Achiuwa experience in the second half.

Achiuwa is still rough around the edges, as the ill-advised turnovers can make even the most patient fan start to get a bit irritated. Still, he’s shown that he can be a major contributor on a winning basketball team, which isn’t something that Miami apparently believed he could evolve into.