Precious Achiuwa Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Raptors Notes: VanVleet, Achiuwa, Boucher, Depth

September 28th, 2022 at 8:56pm CST by Rory Maher

Fred VanVleet made changes to his diet as well as his strength and conditioning regimen in order to stay healthy while playing heavy minutes, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. Lewenberg notes that VanVleet has played the second-most minutes per game in the NBA over the past three seasons (trailing only James Harden), and 47 of his 55 missed games over that span have come in the second half of seasons.

“It’s a 12-month season now, year ‘round,” said a noticeably slimmer VanVleet. “Hopefully I can stay on this regimen the rest of my career. There’s always gonna be new changes and things you have to adjust and adapt to as you try to grow. I’ve had a hell of a run so far, so to continue to try to keep growing is going to be challenging every year but I’m up for it.”

Head coach Nick Nurse said the team hopes to reduce VanVleet’s workload in 2022/23, but it’s more complicated than just following a prescribed plan.

“It’s not easy,” Nurse said, per Lewenberg. “When you got a super competitive guy who’s playing great and he wants to play, to rest him, to just say, ‘Sorry, it’s your rest time, we don’t care what’s happening on the floor right now, it’s your rest time,’ that’s hard to do. But I think we learned a lot about how we can shift our team around without him in there and I think that we’re going to need to be able to do that. I hope we can get it done.”

Here’s more on the Raptors:

Precious Achiuwa‘s development is one of the keys to Toronto’s standing in the East, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Achiuwa made an immediate impact as a defender in his first year with the Raptors in ’21/22, but struggled on offense. However, he had a big second half last season, and if he can build upon that, the Raptors will be that much more dangerous, Grange notes. Nurse says the third-year big man has impressed early on in training camp. “I think that he’s improving all the time. I think he had a great especially last half. I’ve already talked about I think he had a great spring, summer, fall so far, and he’s looked really good during the first three practices,” said Nurse. “So you know, I think a good step forward for him is expected by him, first and foremost, which is the most important, and by all of us, yeah.”
Both Nurse and Chris Boucher are hoping for more consistency from the “really unique” big man, who signed a three-year, $35MM contract to remain with the Raptors. “There are some nights when he’s picking and popping and not hitting those, and he can’t live in that world, that’s always just extra for us,” Nurse said, per Lori Ewing of The Toronto Star. “(He has to) continue to run, continue to crash the glass, continue to block shots and continue to be that spirit, that force of spirit that he is out there and playing hard.”
In another article for Sportsnet, Grange writes that the Raptors are more confident in their depth after adding Otto Porter and Juancho Hernangomez in free agency, plus having a full season of Thaddeus Young, who signed an extension shortly before free agency opened. Young players like Malachi Flynn, Dalano Banton and Justin Champagnie could also be important depth pieces if they continue to improve, Grange adds.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Aldridge, Achiuwa, Nets

September 21st, 2022 at 10:17am CST by Luke Adams

Following Danilo Gallinari‘s ACL tear and Robert Williams‘ knee surgery, it remains to be seen whether the Celtics will look to fortify their frontcourt with a free agent addition. If they do, it’s possible veteran big man LaMarcus Aldridge will be one of their targets.

During a TV appearance on Tuesday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (video link) said the Celtics showed “a little interest” in Aldridge earlier in the offseason. Dwight Howard, Hassan Whiteside, Blake Griffin, and DeMarcus Cousins are among the other centers and power forwards who remain unsigned with training camps just days away.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston considers whether the Celtics need to add any more veteran depth to their frontcourt. He also weighs the idea of Grant Williams moving into Boston’s starting lineup and wonders if Robert Williams‘ health will be a long-term concern.
Raptors big man Precious Achiuwa believes he has done a lot of growing up since being sent from Miami to Toronto in the Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade in 2021, per Colin Udoh of ESPN. Following an offseason trip to his home country of Nigeria and a summer of working out with his trainers, Achiuwa says he’s “really focused” and has a new mindset entering the 2022/23 season. “I mean, something happened to him where he now understands what playing in the NBA is about, and he is on a mission,” head coach Nick Nurse said of Achiuwa.
The Nets have quietly constructed a roster that is deeper and more talented – especially on the wing – than any of the other iterations of the club since Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving arrived in 2019, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. However, Vardon cautions that the volatility of the team’s stars and the strength of the Eastern Conference may complicate Brooklyn’s efforts to seriously contend for a title.

Atlantic Notes: Trent, Achiuwa, Morris, Barrett

August 31st, 2022 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

While Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Scottie Barnes look like safe bets to be part of the Raptors‘ starting lineup this fall, the fifth spot may come down to Gary Trent Jr. vs. Precious Achiuwa. And, as Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes, both players will be motivated to have big years — Trent can become an unrestricted free agent next offseason if he declines his 2023/24 player option, while Achiuwa will become eligible for a rookie scale extension in 2023.

If the Raptors decide Achiuwa’s size makes him a better fit for that starting role, Trent is still capable of maintaining or improving his value while coming off the bench, Koreen argues. As a sixth man, Trent’s usage rate would likely be higher than it would be as a starter. Throw in the fact that he’ll only be 24 years old next summer and projects to be part of a playoff team, and Trent should be in line for a nice payday whether he’s a starter or a reserve in 2022/23.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

The Nets‘ one-year deal with Markieff Morris won’t be guaranteed, according to reports from ESPN and Brian Lewis of The New York Post. We’ll have to wait until after the signing is official to confirm whether Morris’ salary will be fully non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed — either way, he seems like a good bet to earn a regular season roster spot if he looks healthy in training camp.
There aren’t many NBA executives who have a “down-the-middle” take on Knicks forward RJ Barrett, according to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, who says some talent evaluators view him as a future All-Star while others question his shooting ability, his decision making, and/or his touch around the basket. Vecenie explains within his article why he’s a believer in Barrett’s long-term potential.
For more on Barrett’s extension and how it affects Donovan Mitchell trade talks, be sure to check out our Knicks page, which has been busy so far this week.

Atlantic Notes: Achiuwa, Irving, Embiid, Sixers

July 30th, 2022 at 10:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Precious Achiuwa could be a strong candidate for Most Improved Player next season, Raptors coach Nick Nurse said in a recent appearance on the Rapcity Keleten-Nyugaton podcast (hat tip to Aaron Rose of All Raptors).

“Wait till this year because every time I see him this summer on the court it’s total focus, total intensity,” Nurse said. “I mean, something happened to him where he now understands what playing in the NBA is about and he is on a mission.”

The 22-year-old center got off to a rough start in his first season with Toronto, but he seemed like a different player after the All-Star break. He averaged 12.2 points per game over the last part of the season and shot 39% from three-point range.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

There may be a thaw in the relationship between Nets management and Kyrie Irving, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Lewis notes that owner Joe Tsai recently retweeted a post praising Irving after the paper reported that he plans to play the upcoming season in Brooklyn. Tsai retweeted another post related to the “NYC Point Gods” documentary that suggested Irving would have excelled in the old era of New York City playgrounds and added the word “truth.” Irving responded with a video of burning sage, which is used by Native Americans to get rid of negative energy.
Thumb and finger surgery prevented Sixers center Joel Embiid from playing for the French national team this summer, per Basket News. Former NBA player Boris Diaw, who serves as general manager for the French team, said Embiid is in the process of being registered as a player for the national team. “His request for naturalization has been accepted,” Diaw said. “We know that he’s still waiting for the French passport. When he obtains it, then he can start the process and apply for a FIBA license for the national team.” Embiid is expected to make his debut with France during the 2023 World Cup.
Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice examines the options for the Sixers‘ fifth starter and compares how the team would look with P.J. Tucker, Danuel House, Matisse Thybulle or De’Anthony Melton in a starting role alongside Embiid, James Harden, Tobias Harris, and Tyrese Maxey.

Raptors Rumors: Anunoby, VanVleet, Boucher, Young, More

June 13th, 2022 at 3:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors aren’t actively looking to trade forward OG Anunoby, Michael Scotto said in the latest episode of The HoopsHype Podcast. According to Scotto, it would require a “substantial” return for Toronto to consider moving Anunoby, along the lines of a significant upgrade at center or a top-10 draft pick. That’s similar to what Jake Fischer has recently reported.

Scotto’s guest, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet 590 The Fan, agrees that it would take “a lot” for the Raptors to seriously considering moving Anunoby, noting that assistant GM Dan Tolzman recently expressed skepticism when asked if the No. 7 pick in this year’s draft would develop at the same rate and with the same ceiling as Anunoby.

While Murphy acknowledges that Anunoby would be an obvious trade candidate if the Raptors attempt to trade for an impact player, he believes the team would rather enter the 2022/23 season without a traditional center than include Anunoby in a trade for a center who isn’t as well-rounded and versatile a player as the 24-year-old forward.

Murphy and Scotto also point out that Toronto is high on Precious Achiuwa, whose role would be cut back if the team added a starting center to play 30-35 minutes per night.

Here’s more on the Raptors:

Fred VanVleet and the Raptors are expected to discuss a possible contract extension this offseason, league sources tell Scotto. If VanVleet were to decline his 2023/24 player option, he could extend for up to four years and $114MM this summer. However, Murphy doesn’t think there will be a rush to get anything done, since Toronto will hold VanVleet’s Bird rights and would be in the driver’s seat to re-sign him if he opts out in 2023.
The Raptors have interest in re-signing both Chris Boucher and Thaddeus Young in free agency, according to Scotto. Murphy observes that the team should have about $31MM in wiggle room below the luxury tax line, which could be used to bring back Boucher and Young and fill out the roster, possibly using the mid-level exception. A deal in the mid-level range ($10MM) might make sense for Boucher, Murphy adds.
Addressing Boucher’s free agency in his own story today, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report suggested that it seems safe to “pencil in” the big man’s return to Toronto.
Svi Mykhailiuk‘s decision on his $1.88MM player option may go down to the wire, according to Scotto, who says June 22 is the deadline for Mykhailiuk to opt in.
Murphy would be shocked if two-way restricted free agent Justin Champagnie doesn’t remain with the Raptors, perhaps on a two-year, minimum-salary deal.

Raptors Notes: Barnes, Offseason, Young, Achiuwa

April 29th, 2022 at 9:54am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors were unable to complete a historic comeback after falling behind 3-0 in their first-round series with the Sixers, getting blown out in the second half of Thursday’s Game 6. Still, Toronto exceeded expectations this season, having come into the year as a projected lottery team.

“I think we took a lot of steps,” standout forward Pascal Siakam said after Thursday’s loss, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. “We got a lot better over the season. It was obviously up and down, but we did get better. Knowing this team and our front office and the people that we have in the organization, I know that the goal is to continue to get better and improve and be a way better team next year.”

Besides getting an impressive bounce-back season from Siakam, who is a legitimate All-NBA candidate, the Raptors saw players like Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, and Gary Trent Jr. take another step forward and Precious Achiuwa evolve from a roll of the dice into a potential long-term cornerstone.

The team’s biggest win, according to Lewenberg, was the selection of Scottie Barnes in last year’s draft — it’s “impossible to overstate his importance” to the team and its future on the heels of his Rookie of the Year debut, Lewenberg writes.

Here’s more on the Raptors:

Despite the strides the Raptors made in 2021/22, there are important areas that need to be addressed. In particular, the club needs to add more shooting, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Toronto’s lack of shooting was its undoing against Philadelphia, according to Eric Koreen of The Athletic, who notes that the team made just 7-of-35 (20.0%) three-pointers in Game 6 and 29.9% for the series. While Fred VanVleet‘s injury absence contributed to those struggles, the team could still use another outside threat or two.
Upgrading the bench will be another top priority for the Raptors this summer, Bobby Marks of ESPN (Insider link) writes in his offseason preview. Toronto has Bird rights on both Thaddeus Young and Chris Boucher and could re-sign them without dipping into its mid-level exception. The front office has also shown a knack for identifying young talent outside of the draft lottery, Marks adds, so the No. 33 pick could be useful for adding an inexpensive contributor.
Within his preview, Marks notes that VanVleet will become extension-eligible in July and Siakam will become eligible for a new deal in October. Both players are on contracts that run through 2024, though VanVleet has a player option for 2023/24 and could theoretically become a free agent in ’23.
Speaking on Friday to reporters, Young conveyed how impressed he was with the Raptors after coming over from San Antonio at February’s trade deadline. “This organization is elite,” Young said, per Lewenberg (Twitter link). “One of the top I’ve ever been a part of… I loved everything about this experience. As far as the team, the sky is the limit… This team can be really, really scary.” Young added that his family will be his top priority as he enters free agency and didn’t rule out the possibility of undergoing surgery on his injured thumb (Twitter links via Koreen and Grange).
The pairing of Achiuwa and the Raptors represents a perfect marriage between a player and an organizational philosophy, Koreen writes for The Athletic. The team’s willingness to experiment with Achiuwa rather than trying to rein him in or pigeonhole him has paid dividends so far, says Koreen.

Atlantic Notes: Rivers, Achiuwa, Nurse, G. Williams

April 27th, 2022 at 9:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

With the Sixers in danger of becoming the first team ever to lose a series after taking a 3-0 lead, coach Doc Rivers is defending his playoff record, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Rivers, the only coach in NBA history to lose more than one 3-1 advantage, asked reporters to “tell the whole story” about his playoff history.

He pointed out that the Magic team he coached in 2003 was an eighth seed that overachieved by taking the series lead in the first place. He added that Chris Paul was playing with an injury when the 2015 Clippers squandered a 3-1 lead, and L.A.’s 2020 loss took place in the Orlando bubble without the benefit of home court advantage.

“But, it just happens,” Rivers added. “So I would say with me, some of them is … I gotta do better always. I always take my own responsibility. And then some of it is, circumstances happen. This one, let’s win it, and we don’t have to talk about it.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Second-year center Precious Achiuwa has played an important role in helping the Raptors turn the series around, observes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. In his first significant postseason experience, Achiuwa has matched up well with MVP candidate Joel Embiid and has improved steadily throughout the series, according to Smith. “He feels like a more confident, different player to me,” coach Nick Nurse said. “We used to say that a little bit about Serge (Ibaka) back in the old days. All of a sudden Serge became a factor later on in the series when he kind of got used to what was going on out there and stuff.”
Overcoming a 3-0 deficit may be unprecedented, but Nurse doesn’t see it as impossible, per Lori Ewing of The Toronto Star. The Raptors have survived two elimination games already, and they seem to be embracing the optimism that Nurse has been trying to convey. “Listen, everybody was disappointed about the 3-0 start and it felt a little heavy for a while,” he said. “But when we got back to the film room the next day, I liked the body language, I liked what I was hearing communication-wise and I felt that we were ready to go.”
Grant Williams had an under-the-radar role in helping the Celtics sweep the Nets, according to Nekias Duncan of Basketball News. Williams took advantage of Brooklyn’s focus on Boston’s stars to average 11.3 points per game while shooting 50% from beyond the arc. He was also part of the group of defenders who held Kevin Durant in check.

Raptors Notes: Superstar, Anunoby, Barnes, Achiuwa

April 22nd, 2022 at 7:35am CST by Luke Adams

Despite facing constant double teams in the first three games of the Sixers‘ series vs. the Raptors, Joel Embiid is thriving, averaging 27.7 PPG and 13.0 RPG en route to three Philadelphia victories. The 76ers have outscored Toronto by a total of 31 points with Embiid on the court.

As Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes, Embiid’s dominance is a reminder to the Raptors how much easier things are in the postseason when you have a superstar to lean on. The last time the two teams met in the playoffs, it was a Toronto superstar – Kawhi Leonard – who was the difference in the series, but the club no longer has a player of that caliber.

While Fred VanVleet was an All-Star this season and Pascal Siakam is an All-NBA candidate, neither player commands the sort of defensive attention that Embiid does, especially in the half court. The Raptors ranked 25th this season in half-court offensive efficiency in part because they’re missing that superstar, according to Koreen, who stresses the importance of Scottie Barnes‘ development as the club seeks that sort of player.

Here’s more out of Toronto:

Bruce Arthur of The Toronto Star agrees that Embiid’s superstar performance is overwhelming Toronto, but says this series feels different than when the pre-Kawhi Raptors used to get eliminated year after year by LeBron James. This time around, Toronto has enough potential in-house star power – especially in Barnes, Siakam, and OG Anunoby – that the team doesn’t need to dream about bringing in a big name via trade or free agency, Arthur opines.
Anunoby remains a mystery for the Raptors, Koreen writes in another story for The Athletic. The fifth-year forward is once again playing some of his best basketball in the playoffs (24.0 PPG on 57.4% shooting), but injuries interfered with his development this season and it’s unclear how his postseason production would be affected if Philadelphia wasn’t so focused on slowing down Siakam. Toronto badly needs at least 70 games from Anunoby next season to get a better sense of his long-term role for the franchise, says Koreen.
Following the Raptors’ Game 3 loss, head coach Nick Nurse told reporters, “We’ll have Scottie back on Saturday and another weapon to use” (Twitter link via Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca). Despite being down 3-0 to the Sixers, it sounds as if the Raps expect to bring Barnes back in Game 4 after the standout rookie missed the last two games due to an ankle sprain.
Second-year big man Precious Achiuwa, acquired in last summer’s Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade, missed a pair of crucial free throws near the end of the Raptors’ Game 3 loss, but the team came away thrilled with the 22-year-old’s play (20 points on 9-of-11 shooting) in a high-pressure game, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. Fred VanVleet called it a “breakout performance,” while Nurse said he was “really proud” of how Achiuwa played.

Raptors Notes: Lowry, Nurse, Playoff Rotation, VanVleet

April 2nd, 2022 at 5:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

Before returning to Toronto for the first time since signing with the Heat during the offseason, Kyle Lowry wrote a piece for The Players Tribune expressing gratitude to the fans who cheered him during his nine seasons with the Raptors. Sunday night’s game will mark Lowry’s first time in Scotiabank Arena since February 28, 2020, as that season concluded at Disney World and the Raptors played their home games in Tampa, Florida, last year.

In his article, Lowry details the phone call he made to team president Masai Ujiri to break the news that he was leaving and tells Toronto fans that he’s “excited as hell” to play in front of them again.

“I’m excited to be on a court with (Fred VanVleet) and Pascal (Siakam) and OG (Anunoby) again — if Masai is big bro, then those are my little bros, and they’re the guys now, they’re taking over,” Lowry wrote. “And I’m excited to experience that energy of Toronto basketball again. But I also think it might just be a normal night in some ways, you know what I mean? Because regardless of the jersey I’m wearing, a lot still hasn’t changed … and won’t ever change. It’s never going to be a wrap between me and this city. With family, it’s never goodbye.”

There’s more from Toronto:

Lowry played a vital role in reviving the franchise, but the Raptors couldn’t have taken the next step in their development without him leaving, argues Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Lowry’s departure provided an opportunity for Siakam to become the primary ball-handler and it created a full-time role for rookie Scottie Barnes, who is seeing some of his 35 minutes per night at point guard. “We knew we were going to be losing a big leader,” coach Nick Nurse said, “… but for some of the guys that have been around here long enough, we needed them to understand they are the leaders of the team, and it’s up to them to perform and act like that.”
The Raptors’ recent hot streak gives Nurse the freedom to experiment with his rotation ahead of the playoffs, Grange adds in a separate story. In Wednesday’s victory over Minnesota, Precious Achiuwa, who’s shooting over 40% from three-point range since the All-Star break, started the second half in place of Barnes and provided a lot more spacing for the offense.
Lowry may be on hand to watch VanVleet break one of his franchise records, per Mike Ganter of The Toronto Sun. With 236 three-pointers, VanVleet is only three behind Lowry’s single-season mark.

Raptors Notes: Anunoby, Siakam, Barnes, Birch, Achiuwa

March 15th, 2022 at 7:53am CST by Luke Adams

Raptors forward OG Anunoby, who has been sidelined since the All-Star break due to a fractured right ring finger, was reevaluated on Monday, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).

“It’s kinda the same,” head coach Nick Nurse said of Anunoby’s finger injury. “It’s not fully healed. He’s got a decision to make.”

According to Nurse, the plan is for Anunoby to practice on Tuesday and see how he feels — the team will know more at that point about his status. Nurse’s comment about Anunoby having a “decision” to make suggests that playing through the injury before it has fully healed could be an option if the pain isn’t too bad.

Here’s more on the Raptors:

As Eric Koreen writes for The Athletic, Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes are both technically forwards, but their versatile skill sets allows them to function as de facto point guards at times, and they’re developing intriguing chemistry together. “I think we have kind of like similar skill sets, and we always feel like we have a mismatch every time down the floor,” Siakam said over the weekend.
Noting that Toronto enjoyed success in Denver on Saturday with a shooting-deficient lineup made up of Barnes, Khem Birch, Thaddeus Young, Chris Boucher, and Dalano Banton, Eric Koreen explores Nurse’s unconventional rotation decisions, dubbing the Raptors the NBA’s “delightful weirdos.”
Birch appreciates the Raptors’ willingness to stick with him as a rotation regular and a frequent starter, given how much time he has missed this season due to injuries and illnesses. “Honestly, I feel like with any other team I probably wouldn’t even be playing right now,” said Birch, who has missed 26 of 68 games (link via Doug Smith of The Toronto Star). “The fact that they just have that type of confidence in me despite all the injuries I’ve had, all the setbacks, and I’m still getting minutes tells a lot about how they feel about me, and it gives me a lot of confidence to keep going despite my injury.”
Nekias Duncan of BasketballNews.com examines the progress that Raptors center Precious Achiuwa has made in his second NBA season and the areas where he still has room to improve.