The Toronto Raptors‘ All-Star core of Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunoby (once the starry-eyed youngsters of the 2019 team) are now living their basketball primes. Siakam should be an All-NBA team lock for the second time in his career, VanVleet made his first All-Star team, and Anunoby just posted his best statistical season yet.
Siakam and VanVleet are 27 years old and Anunoby, though we may forget, is only 24. However, it’s safe to assume that Raptors fans have a shrewd sense of who these players are. They are in the early stages of their prime. They are the present.
On the other end of the scale, Toronto has the core of the future in place. This is headlined by superstar 20-year-old and Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes but also consists of young microwave Gary Trent Jr. and the enigmatic Precious Achiuwa.
This wasn’t the case the whole year. Barnes and Trent proved themselves as young stud assets straight out the gate, but the road was windier for Precious. Coming in with big expectations as part of the Kyle Lowry trade, Achiuwa finally fulfilled them later in the season.
Toronto Raptors: Precious Achiuwa was the most improved player
His defense and rebounding were helpful, but as an undersized center without an outside game, suspicions grew that Achiuwa was stuck in that dreaded “tweener” positional area. His versatility appeared to be purely in his physique, as he looked unable to stick inside.
That fear was not without good reason. At 6-8, Precious was smaller than most of the starting centers in the NBA this season. He’d get muscled around by the likes of Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid. His lack of size at the center position crippled his ability to finish over the top at the rim, but his lack of a 3-point shot prevented him from playing anything else.
Yes, he was young, but there were moments where Raptors fans had to wonder if the team had wasted the Kyle Lowry trade chip.
Precious Achiuwa had a shocking turnaround.
The turning point came in late February. In a sleepy regular-season game against the Hawks, Precious Achiuwa posted a season-high 21 points and nine rebounds, going 2-3 from three and 8-12 from the field.
Precious would continue to trend upward, averaging 12.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game on efficient shooting percentages during the remainder of the season.
Achiuwa had shown flashes of 3-point range in the preseason, but he reverted back to a more rim-running offensive style during the early part of the regular season. When that changed, the whole Raptors offense opened up for him.
Precious Achiuwa stepped up in the playoffs.
It isn’t just about being able to knock down perimeter shots. Having respect from the defense let Precious pull the opposing center out of the paint. This takes away the other team’s rim protection and allows the Raptors’ primary creators like Siakam and Barnes to attack the rim in single coverage.
This newfound range also lets Precious use his most valuable athletic trait to its full advantage. With the strength of a center and the speed and fluidity of a forward to go along with a 3-point shot, an offensive liability became one of the best young bigs out there.
His hands were the strangest and subtly the most important improvement to Achiuwa’s game. Early-season Achiuwa would blow layups and finishes around the rim. Was it due to him constantly giving up size in the paint? Or perhaps the Raptor’s poor spacing allowed for an easier help defense? Either way, he shot well under 50% at the basket.
That changed halfway through the season. Yes, his improved distance shooting led to easier takes to the rim, but he also just improved as a finisher. He now has more patience and decisiveness under the hoop, a softer touch adjusting around the defense, and a newfound aggressiveness when going in for his signature tomahawk dunks.
The playoffs were a success for Precious Achiuwa.
Don’t get hung up on the two missed free throws at the end of Game 3.
Does it sting to lose in that fashion? Of course, it does. On the whole, that game was a triumph for Achiuwa. He posted 20 massive points on 82% shooting while helping to hold Embiid to 2-5 shooting in the first half.
Achiuwa was on full display that game. Every part of his game was shown, both the positives and the negatives. Did he brick those potentially game-winning free throws? Yes, but you better believe he will be working on his foul shooting all summer.
The most important takeaway from that game and that series is that Achiuwa can already be a high-level contributor in a playoff game. Not next year, not when he’s a few seasons older, but right now. At 22 years old, despite the holes in his game, he’s already a rotation-level player for a playoff team, and he’s only going to get better.
What comes next for Precious Achiuwa?
As previously stated, Achiuwa still has a lot to improve on. He needs to become more consistent with scoring and at the line. He must improve his handle and turn the ball over less. At the age he’s at, however, the things he’s doing are really promising.
With his new abilities as a perimeter player, the Raptors can now pursue a more traditional five-man this offseason with the knowledge that they can play both Precious and that big simultaneously.
The Raptors must keep working with Precious Achiuwa.
Moving into his third year in the league and his second with the Raptors, Precious’ name should be in early consideration for the 2022-2023 awards races. Not to jump the gun, but the pieces are in place for a “Most Improved” or “Sixth Man” campaign from Achiuwa if he steps on the accelerator.
The next generation of Raptors stars is headlined by Barnes, and rightly so. Even with that, if you think about where Siakam and OG Anunoby were in their formative years and where Achiuwa is now, a seismic leap is not out of the question. There’s no telling how good the Scottie/Achiuwa combo could soon be.