Who is Precious Achiuwa?

With the 20th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Miami Heat selected Precious Achiuwa, a physically imposing 6”9, 235lb, 21-year-old Forward from the University of Memphis. Precious had a stellar season under coach Penny Hardaway taking most of the frontcourt load after star center James Wiseman was banned three games into the season. Precious thrived under the added pressure, averaging an impressive 15.8 points, 10.8 rebounds to go along with 1.9 blocks, 1.1 steals, and 1.0 assists.

During the pre-draft process, scouts tipped Precious to be one of the best defenders in the class. He was noted for having a high motor along with the perfect mentality for the game. Heat President Pat Riley believes he is the perfect fit for this current Heat roster, “He fits in perfectly with Spo’s system on defense. He can play four positions defensively; he gets out on the break.”

Achiuwa will likely play backup to Bam Adebayo but could feature in crunch time line-ups alongside the young All-Star when a defensive stop is needed. Precious is an incredibly agile and versatile defender who can stop elite players on and off the ball. His explosive athleticism will help Miami in much needed rebounding on both sides of the court. Precious has an outstanding 7”2 wingspan and a standing reach of 9”1 which will also add another layer of rim protection when Bam is not on the court or switched onto another player.

Precious has a very underrated offensive game to add to the Heat’s rotation. He showed flashes of expanding his range beyond the arc shooting a respectable 32% from three in his 31 games at Memphis. He also gives Miami another hard to stop lob threat and is very capable of becoming a good finisher around the paint, something he was slightly below average at in college shooting 61% around the rim. He also adds an impressive offensive rebounding game shown by his nearly 3.1 offensive rebounds per game in college. Rebounding was a major weakness for the Heat in the Finals matchup against the Lakers. This is something Precious’ game is built around. He is certain to clean the glass for the Heat.

Article Written by @d_criniti, Editor/Writer

Edited By: @thefirstabner, @heatproud

Find us on Instagram and Twitter.