The Sacramento Kings are in a bad way. Shocker, right? Their 1-8 start is the worst in the league, and while they may have found their franchise savior in Darius Acuff Jr., they are still a ways away from being a competitive basketball team. While a big discussion has been the Toronto Raptors acquiring Domantas Sabonis from them, there is another big on their roster that could be a sneaky add if they miss out on Domas. Precious Achiuwa is the other big, and I know what you’re thinking: “Hell no, he was awful as a Raptor.”
But hear me out: it’s been three seasons since he played for Toronto, and he’s really grown into a super impactful role-playing big.
When he was with the Raptors, Achiuwa was super new to the league and trying to find his niche. This was what made watching him such a struggle during his tenure in Toronto, but he’s found his role as a high-energy big in the frontcourt. For a Raptors team that still struggles on the glass and defending the interior, Achiuwa could be super valuable, cost-effective, and give Darko Rajakovic a give Darko Rajakovic another much-needed option in the frontcourt.
Precious Achiuwa could be an affordable boost to the Raptors' frontcourt
This season, Achiuwa is averaging 10.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.6 stocks (steals plus blocks) while shooting 53.1 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three. His rebounding numbers aren’t going to pop off the page, especially when looking at his advanced rebounding numbers, but that’s also a byproduct of playing alongside Sabonis. Achiuwa has an awesome motor and, with a different frontcourt partner, could have a much greater impact on the glass.
He’s a solid play finisher and good in screen-and-roll situations. He's not the high-mistake player he was in Toronto and has really improved his overall offensive feel throughout his time in New York and Sacramento.
Defensively, his impact is still really underrated. Achiuwa has the foot speed and length to cover a ton of ground defensively, and despite being a frontcourt piece, he can be a threat at times in passing lanes along with protecting the rim. He would fit in well with Darko Rajakovic's chaos-driven defensive system and give this team another big to roll out in lineups with Jakob Poeltl to make up for his defensive shortcomings.
I don't necessarily agree with all the hate Sabonis gets defensively online, but he still isn’t great on that end, and playing alongside Achiuwa has covered up a ton of his shortcomings.
At a sub-$6 million salary, he has a very tradable contract, and while trading for him as the Raptors' only move this season would be tricky financially, he could be a great add if Bobby Webster decides to shake up the roster. He is trade-restricted until mid-January according to Spotrac, so the Raptors have plenty of time to figure out a way to reunite with Achiuwa. In a perfect world, the Raptors could even get him as a sweetener in a deal for Sabonis, but that may be a dream scenario.
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