From soccer fields in Nigeria to mimicking Bam: 5 things to know about Precious Achiuwa
The Miami Heat used the No. 20 pick of the 2020 NBA draft to select Memphis Tigers post player Precious Achiuwa.
Here are five things you should know about the first-round pick:
1. He was the player Memphis thought James Wiseman would be.
Last season, a freshman led Memphis. A former five-star recruit led the Tigers with a double-double and was the only freshman in the country to win player of the year in his conference.
It all went exactly as Memphis planned with one significant difference: James Wiseman was supposed to be the one doing all this.
Instead, Wiseman played in just three games because of NCAA eligibility issues and Achiuwa rose from supporting player to star. He averaged 15.8 points per game and 10.8 rebounds to become the only freshman in the country to average a double-double. Tigers coach Penny Hardaway let him loose as a two-way, end-to-end terror, letting him attack of the dribble and pull up from three-point range.
Effectively, Hardaway tried to make Achiuwa into Memphis’ Bam Adebayo. In Miami, he’ll get to play alongside the All-Star post player.
2. No, actually, he’s trying to be Adebayo.
Achiuwa can be reminiscent of Adebayo and it’s no accident. Hardaway explicitly tried to have Achiuwa model his game off dangerous playmaker.
The coaching staff in Tennessee even asked Achiuwa to study his new teammate’s film.
3. He was a soccer player growing up.
There’s a long history of African big men growing up playing soccer before they even started to consider a basketball career. Hakeem Olajuwon is the most famous example and he credits his youth playing the sport with birthing his Hall of Fame footwork in the post. Joel Embiid followed a similar path to become a superstar for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Achiuwa has a similar background. He grew up playing soccer in Nigeria and didn’t seriously start pursuing basketball until he was in eighth grade when he came to the United States, following his brother who was going to play basketball for the St. John’s Red Storm.
At 6-foot-9 and 225 pounds, Achiuwa is still agile and he has his background, at least in part, to thank.
4. His brother paved the way in basketball.
God’sgift Achiuwa, in many ways, paved the way for his younger brother. He started his college career at Erie Community College, a junior college program in Williamsville, New York. After two years there, Achiuwa landed at St. John’s, where he spent three years and earned all-Big East Conference academic honors.
Achiuwa told Oswald Cross, a former Red Storm staff member, about his younger brother and Cross brought him into his AAU program. Achiuwa played one year at Our Saviour Lutheran School in the Bronx, New York, and then two years at St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey, before he came to Florida to finish out his high school career at Montverde Academy. In his lone season in Montverde, Achiuwa averaged 14 points and 7.2 rebounds, and he was the leading scorer in the McDonald’s All-American Game.
5. He can be an elite defender.
This is all great, but how does he actually fit with the Heat?
Miami loves defense and so does Achiuwa. The Tigers had one of the best defenses in the nation last year and Achiuwa was their anchor. He averaged 2.5 blocks per game and 1.7 steals, and held opponents to an average of 0.61 points per possession in 1-on-1 situations.
The Heat sorely missed Adebayo’s defensive presence when he went down in the 2020 NBA Finals, and fellow post players Kelly Olynyk and Meyers Leonard had to shoulder the full load at center. Achiuwa is the sort of player who can replicate some of what Adebayo does when Adebayo is on the bench.
This story was originally published November 18, 2020 at 10:47 PM.
