How Miami Heat’s Precious Achiuwa is playing compared with other nonlottery rookies
This sounds familiar: A Miami Heat rookie outperforming his draft position.
It happened with Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro in past years, and it’s happening — to a lesser extent — with Precious Achiuwa, the 20th overall pick who has contributed more than several players picked ahead of him.
Achiuwa leads all rookies in field-goal percentage (57.9) and is second among all rookies (behind Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart) and 30th in the league in rebounds per 36 minutes at 10.3, ahead of Bam Adebayo’s 10.1.
Achiuwa ranks 18th in scoring among rookies at 6.1 per game.
A look at how the nonlottery rookies have played in the first three months of the season:
▪ Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony (picked 15th): The North Carolina product has started 17 games and is averaging 11 points but shooting just 37.5 percent from the field and 32.5 percent on threes, which was a concern in college. His assist-to-turnover ratio (3.8 to 2.0) isn’t good.
▪ Detroit Pistons forward Stewart (16th): The former Washington Huskies standout has been an asset on the glass (5.8 rebounds per game) and is scoring 5.4 points per game on 55.1 percent shooting. He has started two games and looks like an NBA rotation player, even though he’s playing for a bad team.
▪ Oklahoma City forward Aleksej Pokuševski (17th): The Serbian power forward has had a limited impact: 3.3 points, 3.5 rebounds in 17 games off the bench.
▪ Dallas guard Josh Green (18th): The Arizona rookie who left after his freshman season isn’t ready to contribute much; he’s averaging 2.5 points and shooting 2 for 12 on threes in 17 games, including five starts.
▪ Detroit forward Saddiq Bey (19th): The 6-7 ex-Villanova small forward would have been very tempting for Miami had he fallen to 20, and he has played up to expectations: 9.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 39.9 percent shooting on threes in 34 games, including 17 starts.
▪ Achiuwa (20th): The Memphis rookie has impressed with his physicality, footwork, hands and rebounding tenacity and is averaging 6.1 points and 4.0 rebounds in 35 games, including two starts.
But he’s averaging just 14 minutes a game because coach Erik Spoelstra isn’t comfortable playing him much with Adebayo, at least to this point.
Of the nonlottery picks selected ahead of him, only Bey has been clearly better, and that’s no knock on Achiuwa.
▪ Philadelphia guard Tyrese Maxey (21st): The Kentucky rookie — who was considered by Miami at No. 20 — is averaging 8.0 points and 1.8 assists, but the concern about his three-point shooting has been valid: He’s shooting 27.3 percent (15 for 55) on threes. So Miami might have made the right move opting for Achiuwa — he filled a greater position of need — though it’s too soon to know with any certainty.
▪ Denver power forward Zeke Nnaji (22nd): Though the former Arizona standout is often getting into games, the minutes have been limited for a power rotation player that the Heat privately auditioned — and considered — before the draft.
He’s averaging 3.6 points, 1.4 rebounds and 10.8 minutes per game in 23 games, including one start.
He has a more developed three-point game than Achiuwa: Nnaji is 15 for 36 (41.7) on three-pointers; Achiuwa hasn’t attempted one.
Achiuwa has been the better rebounder to this point. It will be interesting to see who ends up having the better career because they were the best two power rotation players available at 20.
▪ Minnesota forward Leandro Balmaro (23rd): He’s still developing his game in Spain, for FC Barcelona.
▪ Denver guard R.J. Hampton (24th): The 2019 five-star Texas recruit who spent last season playing in New Zealand is making a negligible impact: just 2.5 points and 2.0 assists and 9.2 minutes in 24 games. He’s 5 for 18 on threes.
▪ New York guard Immanuel Quickley (25th): So far, the Kentucky product is the best player selected in the 20s and has outplayed every nonlottery pick. He’s averaging 12.2 points while shooting 38.1 percent on threes, though just 38.9 percent overall. In a draft do-over, he’s potentially a lottery pick, no worse than mid-teens.
▪ Boston guard Payton Pritchard (26th): The 6-1 guard from Oregon has been productive, averaging 7.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 rebounds and shooting 40.2 percent (41 for 102) on threes. He should have gone higher, in retrospect.
▪ Jazz center Udoka Timothy Azubuike (27th): The former Big 12 Player of the Year at Kansas player has logged just 49 minutes in 12 games and has a total of 12 points and 13 rebounds.
▪ Minnesota forward Jaden McDaniels (28th): Stewart’s frontcourt partner at Washington is averaging 5.1 points and 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game in 30 games for a bad team, including one start.
▪ Toronto guard Malachi Flynn (29th): The San Diego State rookie has had limited opportunities and production: 2.2 points, 1.1 assists and 8.3 minutes per game in 15 games.
▪ Memphis guard Desmond Bane (30th): The former TCU standpoint, considered one of the best shooters in the draft, has impressed, averaging 9.6 points and shooting 44.3 percent (47 for 106) on threes. He has started recently and has six starts this season.
Incidentally, former Duke and Davie University School center Vernon Carey Jr., selected early in the second round — 32nd overall by Charlotte — has played just six minutes through three games for the Hornets while spending some time in the G League.
Bottom line: Of the players picked in the first round after Achiuwa, three have been more productive, all guards: Quickley, Pritchard and Bane.
But it was understandable that Miami used the 20th pick to find a player who could offer rebounding, energy and defense when Adebayo is on the bench, and Achiuwa generally has made the most of his role.
To maximize value on the pick, the hope is that Achiuwa would eventually become an option to start alongside Adebayo. Either Adebayo or Achiuwa likely would need to develop consistent three-point range for Spoelstra to feel comfortable with giving significant minutes to the two in tandem.
This story was originally published March 10, 2021 at 1:37 PM.
