Precious Achiuwa is one of my favorite players in this draft. Post Ups: Not someone I want making decisions out of the post, or creating for himself. More vertical pop and ability to use strength off two feet. 57% of his attempts in the halfcourt are at the rim, which is a bit low for someone with his skillset. I would like to see him get just a bit stronger and improve footwork (quad behind post up player’s hamstrings) and hand placement, but he should be able to play some 5 / switch onto some 5s…at the very least, definitely small ball 5s. Josh Green finished his freshman season as one of the best freshmen defenders in the country. Needs to work on playing within himself a bit more and turning down shots he might want to take, but are bad shots and should not take. He’s quick to react to the shot going up and does a great job using his length. Synergy Stats: Precious Achiuwa Scouting Report; About Precious Achiuwa. Decent defender Moves well laterally, though staying in his stance is the key – moves slower and is prone to hopping instead of sliding when out of it. Achiuwa led the team in points (15.8), rebounds (10.8), and blocks (1.9) as a freshman while playing 30.4 minutes per game. Needs to improve his playmaking skills He had eight points, two rebounds and one assists in 20 minutes in Monday’s 114-92 … He has taken 20 “pure” C&S jumpers (no dribble) against 24 off the dribble jumpers…which, for someone with his skillset, should be swapped at the very least…though, in truth, he should not be taking any off the bounce jumpers right now, unless they’re maybe simple pullups…but even that, I’d pass on pretty easily for a better look from a teammate. However, is also able to overcome some of these mistakes due to his recovery speed, good hips, length, and athleticism. Doesn’t give up many drives to the basket, which his good – if the ballhandler puts the ball on the court, Achiuwa does a nice job changing his position quickly (turning hips, if needed) and sliding / moving with him. Does not have much pop off one foot on the roll. Gets downhill quickly. Nice free throw rate. Strictly speaking about his shooting mechanics / form in the upper body, it’s pretty solid. Does a nice job kicking the ball up in transition (had a beautiful left-handed full court pass against Bradley with 8:21 in 2nd half) and making outlet passes to beat the defense – this might be his best passing skill. Shot Versatility: Not much shot versatility, nor would I project there to be. Evaluated 09/05/2018. Passing: Not a very good passer in the halfcourt, vision-wise, touch, or accuracy. Vanderbilt University and Cardozo Law School graduate with prior scouting experience with the Phoenix Suns and general basketball operations experience with the Tulsa Shock. Shooting: Inconsistent shooter. On the year, he averaged 12 PPG, 2.6 APG, 4.6 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 0.4 BPG, and 1.6 TOPG on shooting splits of 42/36/78. PSO Scouting Report: PF/C Precious Achiuwa. 2020 rankings were finalized on 11/17/20. Man (ISO) Defense: Moves well laterally and has quick hips. While he can get by it, and still shows nice recognition in helping, I would like to see him rotate a bit sooner because there are some plays he simply misses due to being out of position on time and contesting late – rotate sooner, get in position, and use length + pop to contest instead. The ball comes off his hands softly, he has a nice follow through (though lets his hand down quickly after the release), a consistent release, no hitch, nice release point, etc. Solid cutter off ball with nice timing on dives to the rim, so he could fit next to a good short roll passer as the diving 4 – not someone who sets the cut up, though…just someone who takes advantage of open lanes (which is still good). Good defensive playmaker – one of 9 players in the country with a BLK% of 6.5% and a STL% of 2+. Although he might be able to defend some players at the point of attack, he needs to work on not biting on the screen setup – steps in direction of the screen, hesitations, jab steps, fakes, etc can get him to relax…and while he can recover (and always tries to), he’s not always able to in time. When he has to recover on a ballhandler driving, he is prone to taking a weird angle and giving up an open layup – he’ll move to stop the ballhandler, but his positioning is off and the opponent ends up scoring. Memphis' Precious Achiuwa could help the Celtics bolster their frontcourt in the 2020 NBA Draft. Gifted athlete Picking up speed can lead to turnovers as the ball gets away from him. Can get up quickly in traffic, but not high (especially without loading). Precious Achiuwa Scouting Report (First posted on RealGM) Achiuwa was the biggest beneficiary of Wiseman’s decision to leave Memphis after just three appearances. He will not be someone running off screens, and his footwork as a shooter needs a lot of work…so it could be a while before he ever gets to passable PnP potential, if he gets there at all. Precious Achiuwa is a big wing/combo forward with elite level athletic ability. Overall, Precious Achiuwa is a talented, athletic combo forward that plays hard, and he can make some solid plays on both ends of the floor. Shows some flashes of spin moves, crosses, and hesitations, but they’re not smooth enough or consistent enough to really go to – you can see the handle get looser the longer he’s handling and/or the more advanced the move is he’s trying to make. The Miami Heat selected Memphis forward Precious Achiuwa with the No. Defensive Role: Versatile 4 defender, but can get some minutes at the 5 as he continues to fill out and can be switchable on the perimeter. Can grab and go in transition. His size, athleticism and versatility make him tough to ignore. Sometimes late to help / adjust to fluid situations (such as in PnR), but he is able to recover due to his athleticism. Converted to a 1-100 scale where 100 is most similar, and 1 is least similar. Athleticism / Frame Overview: Strong, very good frame, quick hips and moves well laterally. Not a passer out of the post – not someone who will kick it out and reposition / repost with better position. He has great strength and frame for his age, nice length (7’2.25 wingspan and 9’ standing reach are both above average for PFs), solid recognition (though this can definitely improve), and vertical pop. Can make quick decisions if he knows where the open man is / is going to be. What are Achiuwa’s strengths and weaknesses? Powerful jumper off two feet, less so off one (especially in traffic). He does a nice job sealing the defender in front to get easy lead passes over the top against smaller players, so posting up in a pinch when he has a mismatch is possible…just not someone I’d trust on regular post ups. Mentality Overview: Energy big, confident in game, but needs to stay more within his roll. Can be undisciplined defensively. Moves well laterally when he is in his stance. He will need to improve his jump shot and passing ability, but his ability to score and defend could enable him to thrive at the NBA level. Let's look at his potential fit in Boston. Powerful jumper off two feet, less so off one (especially in traffic). As mentioned above, he flashed a few solid short roll / short-roll-esque passes, but overall accuracy needs work. At this stage in his career, Achiuwa projects to be an energy player and multi positional defender. I like how he is able to get to the rim fluidly on the catch. With Putbacks, no Post Ups:                                                                    Post Ups: Finishing: Not a great finisher – more power and strength based than touch. Team: Memphis Class: Freshman Pos: PF Age: 20 (September 19, 1999) Height: 6’9 Weight: 234 lbs Wingspan: 7’1.5” Strengths: Precious Achiuwa has many of the skills that many great modern day 4s have. Precious Achiuwa was the 17th-ranked recruit in the 2019 high school class [1].. 15 dunks in the halfcourt, 13 and-1s…but also 13 shots blocked. Shot Contests / Closeouts: Inconsistent, though not bad. Rim Protection: A lot of potential here. 11/12/19 Memphis vs. Oregon. However, he is prone to biting on hesitations, fakes, and other moves that set up drives – same issue if he’s on ball at the POA in the PnR. Room to Shoot                                                               Closed Out On. Classification: Freshman I like his acceleration on the catch off the catch or roll when he’s not crowded on the catch – picks up speed pretty well. Precious Achiuwa seems to be one of those prospects you either like or you have a lot of questions about his game. Nice motor, though would like to see him play a bit more physical. Pluses 1. He’s prone to forcing passes he shouldn’t be making, but also missing pretty easy passes he should be making. When he is out of his stance, he hops more than slides. PSO Images. Height: 6-9 Weight: 225 College: Memphis Classification: Freshman Birthdate: 9/19/1999 Crashes offensive glass. College: Memphis Offensive Role: Energy big. Written by Spencer Pearlman, https://twitter.com/SKPearlman, link to other pieces and in-depth reports: https://www.thestepien.com/author/spencerpearlman/. Synergy Profile:             scoring: 57                     scoring + assists: 24       (totals if percentile not available). Shows nice rotations in the paint helping on drives or cutters, but then he’ll stay back (won’t rotate) and rely on his vertical pop to contest and miss the rim protection opportunity…giving up a good look. PnR Ability: Not a short roll passer, but can catch and put the ball on the floor on the move – if the defense tries cutting him short on space to move, he’s comfortable shifting to the right…but if there is little room to move, he’ll force a shot. Actually does a pretty good job recognizing when he’s supposed to help on the perimeter. Very good motor, Needs to improve his shooting Above head release. 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