Precious Achiuwa must remain Raptors starter after trade deadline

There isn’t a ton of positive things to say about what is going on with the Toronto Raptors right now, but the play of Precious Achiuwa has certainly turned heads. Inserted into the starting lineup after an OG Anunoby wrist injury, Achiuwa has been absolutely on fire.

Achiuwa has averaged 14.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game since a January 10 win against the Hornets. He’s hit double-figures in 10 of his last 11 games, establishing himself as both a dynamite rim-runner and a shooter that opposing teams actually have to take seriously.

Let’s look at the last six games, in which Achiuwa is playing slightly more than 34 minutes per game. Achiuwa has recorded a double-double in five of those games, scoring 19 points in 28 minutes during a road victory in Sacramento in the one game in which he didn’t hit that mark.

While there is a very good chance that Toronto won’t have the same starting lineup in 10 days, that could give the rising Achiuwa even more opportunities to strut his stuff. Toronto needs to find some way to make sure that Achiuwa is in a position to thrive after the deadline.

The Toronto Raptors must lean on Precious Achiuwa.

The most encouraging sign from this stretch has been Achiuwa’s increased efficiency. Precious is making 57% of his shots and 38% of his 3-pointers. Finishing around the rim was always his biggest issue on offense, but those troubles appear to be melting away after the coaching staff continued to work with him.

With Anunoby looking like the most likely trade target of the bunch, Achiuwa seems like a natural replacement. Not only can he perform well without demanding a ton of touches, but he can help replace the very unique combination of defensive skills Anunoby brings to the table.

Achiuwa will have to get paid relatively soon, but he will be much cheaper than Anunoby despite his improvements. Masai Ujiri took a risk on him, and the patience that this organization has had with Achiuwa is one of the main reasons he’d been so dominant lately.

Achiuwa still has a long way to go before he can be regarded as a high-end two-way big man, but there is certainly a ton to like about his game and how it could translate to success if given a bigger platform. Achiuwa can be maddening at times, but he’s a starting-caliber power forward in this league when he’s clicking.