The defining narrative for a player will almost always be the loudest part of their game, be it good or bad. Flashy skillsets pave the way for patience, and odd or unique skillsets garner furrowed brows – regardless of utility.
The loudest part of Precious Achiuwa’s game has been his struggles on offense. He seldom moves with purpose, and can muck up otherwise pristine driving lanes or pockets of space for his teammates; has a somewhat inflated sense of what he’s able to do, and he’s completely lacked the hands or touch necessary to thrive around the basket, even if his athleticism suggests he should. That’s all true. But, he’s been the best defensive big on the Raptors roster that isn’t named Pascal Siakam. There are missed rotations, and there are mistakes made on that end, absolutely. But, Achiuwa is already the proud owner of the most important aspect of defense in the NBA: he makes players miss.
The sexy numbers, what are they? How can I make it perfectly clear that Achiuwa is an immense defensive presence for the Raptors? Okay, give me a few sentences.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the best rim defending team in the NBA, and Rudy Gobert is a 3x DPOY. Achiuwa changes shots within 6 feet of the bucket at a similar mark to Gobert, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. The average field goal percentage of a shot within 6 feet across the NBA is well above 60-percent, and that craters to 51-percent when Achiuwa is the one contesting it. The Raptors have struggled immensely when it comes to closing out defensive possessions this season, but when Achiuwa is on the floor they’re significantly better. The Raptors defensive rebounding percentage with Achiuwa on the floor would see them as the 7th best defensive rebounding team in the league, not 29th where they currently sit. Achiuwa is in the 90th-percentile as far as defensive rebounding swings go. And if you’re into the catch-all statistics, he’s in the 91st-percentile in defensive EPM.
Simply put, Achiuwa makes teams miss more shots and takes away second chance opportunities.
The quickest way to describe why he’s an imposing rim protector is that he’s long, he matches steps with players to trap them in their jumps – where he can close the air space and contest without worrying about pump fakes, and he’s really, really strong for his size. That, mixed with an ability to make reads as a backline defender makes for someone who just refuses to give teams easy buckets around the rim. And then on the biomechanical side of things, he’s quick and explosive jumper and second jumper – he just takes less time loading up than other players, so he can still make plays even when his reads might be a bit behind.
From flat-footed to an explosive contest in no time at all. Finding the wonderful place on the defensive spectrum where shot contests are never gambles.
These next clips are where he starts to look like he could be a very special defender. You can see him pick up three mega stars above the break. Not only that, but these 3 stars – Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jimmy Butler – are perhaps the best in the entire league at dislodging their defenders on drives using their strength. This does not happen with Achiuwa. He has an incredible knack for eating contact that’s given to him without suffering any of the issues that other defenders run into. He maintains a strong point of contact, he gives significant resistance, and most importantly he’s there at the end to contest the damn thing. It’s hard to express how unique it is for a center to chase Luka over the top of a screen, switch onto Butler, or pick Giannis up at 3/4 court and find success at all 3. It’s absurd.
The final clip is Drummond, one of the strongest players in the NBA, trying to drop step on him and getting blocked. The drop step is the ultimate display of power, because you are choosing the option closer baseline in the earnest belief that the defender won’t squeeze you against it, that you can dislodge them and go straight up, because all they have to do is move you off your spot and you’re toast. Drummond tried it on Achiuwa and failed.
When Achiuwa was named to the Rising Stars roster he was mistakenly listed as part of the Heat. His selection was met with some scrutiny. Some coming from people suggesting other snubs (Vassell, Okongwu) deserve it more, and some people poking fun at his (admittedly) terribly low true shooting percentage and overall poor offensive performance. I can’t speak to the snubs, but the Rising Stars sophomore roster did end up selecting one of the best defenders available to them, and that’s Achiuwa.
He changes shots, man. And that is worth its weight in gold. Here’s to hoping he continues to do so as the offense catches up.
Have a blessed day.
