3 mind-blowing stats from Raptors’ start to 2022-23 season
By Mike Luciano
2. Precious Achiuwa was historically good
Achiuwa is the Raptors’ unofficial Sixth Man, as the former Heat first-round pick has been tasked with establishing himself as a tremendous offensive player in addition to a versatile defense piece. Achiuwa was a solid rebounder last year, but he has been on fire to start 2022-23.
In Monday night’s win against Miami, Achiuwa became just the eighth player in the last 22 seasons (and the first Toronto player ever) to record 20 rebounds in one game off the bench. When paired with his 10 points and expert defense against a talented frontcourt, this may have been the best game of Achiuwa’s career.
Toronto Raptors PF Precious Achiuwa was dominant on the glass.
Achiuwa recorded 33 rebounds in two games against the team that traded him away for Kyle Lowry, and he clearly had that deal on his mind. His postgame quotes illustrated how he always has a little something extra in the tank whenever he faces his old teammates from South Beach.
Achiuwa has not been the best finisher at the rim, but he has already proven his quality as a glass cleaner and multifaceted stopper. Precious is already one of the best bench players in the Atlantic, and he stands to get even better as the season progresses.