The Miami Heat drafted Precious Achiuwa with their 20th overall pick in this past NBA Draft. Though rated as a lottery type prospect for much of the process, he slipped to the Miami Heat at their selection.
By no fault of his own though and to the benefit of Miami, they got another steal of a player well below the draft slot that his talent indicated that he should have been taken. With all that though, the potential, the slide, the Heat’s ability to land such a talent when and where they did in the draft, the Miami Heat need more from him now.
The Miami Heat need more from Precious Achiuwa right now.
Yes, I know I just finished detailing how he’s but a rookie. I also detailed how he was among the most talented players in the draft, the undoubted leader of a Memphis team that featured top pick James Wiseman until Wiseman left the program, actually challenging him to be the guy when he was initially with the team.
He has the ability to do more. Whether it be from a mental perspective, a skills/ability perspective, or athleticism perspective, he is already capable of doing so much more than he is.
Listen, he is just entering the league and has to feel his way out. He is new to the Miami Heat and the NBA game, so to see him have an adjustment period across just his first few games was to be expected and especially with the condensed schedule.
Heck, the schedule was practically torn up and made up as they went. With no summer league or anything to get his feet up under him, it’s a wonder that Achiuwa is as far as he is, but that also speaks to his immense talent and ability.
He seems to be continuing to become more aggressive in each and every game, something I am sure that the coaching staff is pushing him to be. You could see flashes of it in their most recent contest against the Denver Nuggets.
You could even take something from the fact that we finally got a good look at a Bam Adebayo and Achiuwa lineup in that same contest. He has the face up game, he has the dribble drive game, he has the energy game around the glass such as the offensive rebounds and lob catches, he just has to use it all on the court all the time.
The Miami Heat need all the production they can get right now and Achiuwa is a guy that has a ton of room to become more aggressive with the ball in his hands. They need more from him and if they can get it, then their chances improve a ton with that alone.