Heat adds to frontcourt, taking athletic big man Precious Achiuwa at No. 20 in NBA Draft
The Miami Heat entered Wednesday’s NBA Draft with the 20th overall pick, and it kept that selection to add to its young core.
The Heat took Memphis big man Precious Achiuwa with the 20th pick in this year’s draft, which was conducted virtually amid the COVID-19 pandemic from ESPN’s campus in Bristol, Connecticut.
Technically, Miami wasn’t allowed to trade this year’s first-round selection because its 2021 first-round pick was already dealt as part of the 2015 trade for Goran Dragic, and the NBA doesn’t allow teams to be without consecutive future first-round picks. But the Heat could have made a prearranged trade to draft a player and immediately deal him to another team.
Instead, the Heat used its first-round pick to strengthen its power rotation. Achiuwa (6-9, 225), who turned 21 in September, averaged 15.8 points while shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 13 of 40 on threes, 10.8 rebounds, one assist and 1.9 blocks as a freshman at Memphis last season to earn the AAC Player of the Year honor.
“I’m a really, really competitive kind of player,” Achiuwa said of his fit with the Heat. “I’m aggressive, too. I like to play really aggressive. I’m gritty, too. That’s what I’m about, being out there doing whatever it takes to win ballgames, and just that aggressiveness, that grittiness and just everything that it takes to win a basketball game.
“I watched the NBA Finals, and thankful they’re welcoming me to Miami. I think I can add a lot to the table, like add a lot of aggression and grittiness to the table and be that support for them inside.”
Achiuwa, who worked out privately for the Heat in advance of the draft, fills a need for Miami, especially considering center Meyers Leonard will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and center Kelly Olynyk only has one season remaining on his contract with the Heat even if he opts-in to his player option for next season as expected. The Heat relied on smaller lineups during its playoff run to the NBA Finals last season, but adding an athletic big like Achiuwa to the roster who has the potential to defend multiple positions, rebound and serve as a physical interior presence either alongside center Bam Adebayo or when Adebayo is on the bench will help.
Achiuwa is the only player the Heat added in this year’s draft, as it had no second-round selection.
“I felt tonight that we did very well, and we’re very pleased and very happy with our pick, with Precious,” Heat president Pat Riley said late Wednesday night. “We were looking for bigs like him that are quick, that are athletic, that could run, that can handle. Obviously, he’s an explosive player, plays above the rim. We just were very, very impressed with him and he was in our wheelhouse and when we had an opportunity to draft him with his name still on the board we we’re very excited.
“We think he probably is one of the most underrated players in the draft, and I think most likely — you could argue this — but the people debated that he may be the most athletic player in the draft, he has a real good upside. A lot of talent and we’re just very excited to have him, and I think he fits in perfectly with how we want to play, he fits in perfectly with Spo’s system on defense. He can play four positions defensively. He gets out on the break. He’s a rim runner. So, I’m just excited that at 20, that we could find a player that is that good and of that kind of quality.”
Miami’s previous three first-round picks were guard Tyler Herro (13th pick last year), Adebayo (14th pick in 2017) and wing Justise Winslow (10th pick in 2015). Winslow was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in the middle of last season, but Adebayo and Herro stand as the two most important and valuable members of the Heat’s current young core with Herro delivering a historically good postseason for a rookie and Adebayo making his first All-Star Game last season.
According to the NBA’s scouting profile on Achiuwa, he is “arguably the most athletic player available in the 2020 NBA Draft, and he put his combination of length, speed, and explosiveness to good use as a freshman for the Memphis Tigers. ... Doing a bit of everything on the offensive end, Achiuwa made his best contributions applying his physical tools in transition and on the offensive glass. An excellent lob threat who can produce miscellaneous points in bunches when he’s dialed in, he also spent some time creating off the dribble, sliding out to the perimeter to space the floor, and moving the ball though his skill level is still a work in progress.
“The anchor of arguably the top defensive team in college basketball, Achiuwa’s ability to switch onto guards, protect the rim, and finish possessions on the glass shined this season. Becoming a more disciplined defender in his only season at the college level, his potential as a stopper in the NBA is apparent.”
ESPN’s scouting report on Achiuwa: “Elite physical profile and ideal defensive versatility. Has the strength (234 pounds) and standing reach (9-1.5) to slide all the way up to the center spot in small lineups. Explosive above the rim in space. Light on his feet. Long arms (7-2 wingspan), big hands. Has the tools to check either forward spot in the NBA while also switching onto the perimeter.”
Achiuwa, who moved to the United States from Nigeria in middle school, is one of the most physically impressive prospects in this year’s draft class. He has impressive defensive potential as a power rotation player who has the athleticism, length and lateral quickness to become a switchable big.
Achiuwa also has offensive upside with the potential to eventually develop a reliable outside shot, but he shot just 59.9 percent from the foul line in his lone college season. Achiuwa also finished with 87 turnovers to 30 assists at Memphis last season, and he’s expected to make more of an impact as a rim runner and roll man around the basket early in his NBA career.
“If he falls to 20, it’s a steal,” ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla said of Achiuwa in advance of the draft. “If he has the self awareness to understand he’s a high energy big and not LeBron James, he will have a terrific career. A unique athlete with a high motor and excellent rebounding instincts. If he drops to 20, he has Miami Heat written allover him. He wants to be Kawhi Leonard. He would love to show everyone he can shoot it from outside; and he may be able to do that [eventually]. High level NBA athlete. He can rebound, run the court, handle in the open court.”
ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas said on the draft broadcast after the Heat’s pick: “Especially after James Wiseman left Memphis, that’s when Precious really took off. He was a double-double machine, averaged 16 [points], 11 [rebounds] and two blocks. He can step away and shoot it. The only freshman in Division I to be Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in his league. Relentless finisher, goes after every loose ball, runs, has great motor. High energy player that can be a small-ball five. Has to improve his shooting, 32 percent on three. For a big guy, he can build on that. Just a solid, really good player.”
As for other teams around the Eastern Conference, the Charlotte Hornets took guard LaMelo Ball with the No. 3 pick, the Chicago Bulls drafted wing Patrick Williams at No. 4, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Isaac Okoro at No. 5, the Atlanta Hawks took center Onyeka Okongwu at No. 6, the Detroit Pistons drafted guard Killian Hayes at No. 7, the New York Knicks selected center Obi Toppin at No. 8 and the Washington Wizards took wing Deni Avdija at No 9.
Rookies will face a very quick turnaround to the start of their first NBA training camp, with the accelerated schedule forcing first-year players to begin camp with their new teams about two weeks after the draft on Dec. 1 for a Dec. 22 start to the 2020-21 NBA season.
There’s also the fact that most of the draft prospects have not played in a game since March when sports stopped because of the pandemic. There won’t be a summer league or many offseason workouts to shed any rust either before training camp opens around the league.
Achiuwa is slotted to make as much as $2.6 million this upcoming season as the 20th pick in this year’s draft, and he’ll be under team control for five seasons.
Following the Heat’s first-round selection, its current salary-cap breakdown for next season looks like this: Jimmy Butler ($34.4 million), Andre Iguodala ($15 million), Olynyk ($12.2 million player option), Adebayo ($5.1 million), Herro ($3.8 million), Duncan Robinson ($1.7 million), Kendrick Nunn ($1.7 million), KZ Okpala ($1.5 million), Chris Silva ($1.5 million), and the projected $2.6 million cap hit for Achiuwa. In addition, a $5.2 million waive-and-stretch cap hit for Ryan Anderson is still on Miami’s books, as well as a $350,000 waive-and-stretch cap hit for AJ Hammons.
Add all that up, and the Heat has about $85 million committed to 10 players for this upcoming season with the 2020-21 salary cap set at $109.140 million. This is assuming Olynyk opts-in to the final season of his contract, as he has until Thursday at 5 p.m. to make a decision on his player option.
The Heat has six impending unrestricted free agents this offseason: Jae Crowder, Goran Dragic, Udonis Haslem, Solomon Hill, Derrick Jones Jr. and Leonard. Miami owns Bird rights with all six players, which allows NBA teams to exceed the salary cap in order to re-sign their own free agents.
Haslem announced last week that he will return to the Heat for an 18th season. He’s expected to sign a one-year, $2.6 million veteran minimum contract with Miami, but he would count only about $1.6 million against the salary cap and luxury tax in this scenario because of NBA salary-cap rules.
Free-agent negotiations during this condensed and unique offseason are allowed to begin Friday at 6 p.m., with signings permitted to start on Sunday at 12:01 p.m.
▪ The Heat extended a qualifying offer to two-way contract guard Gabe Vincent in advance of Thursday’s deadline. There is still no update regarding Miami’s other two-way contract player from last season, center Kyle Alexander.
The move makes Vincent a restricted free agent and allows the Heat to match offers from outside teams once free-agent negotiations begin Friday.
Miami Herald sportswriter Barry Jackson contributed to this report.
This story was originally published November 18, 2020 at 10:09 PM.
