2020 NBA Draft: How Precious Achiuwa fits with the New Orleans Pelicans

New Orleans Pelicans NBA Draft: Precious Achiuwa

Precious Achiuwa’s Weaknesses

In a league obsessed with 3-point shooting, Achiuwa is not going to stand out.

He only shoots 32.5 percent from long-range, though he has decent form. Achiuwa is probably not a guy who is ever going to develop into a prolific 3-point shooter and won’t be able to stretch the floor.

Similar to Bam Adebayo, Achiuwa is a guy who is going to get most of his buckets on fast breaks and putbacks on the offensive glass.

His game has evolved, but he is not a great ball-handler and isn’t going to create a lot of shots for himself or others. His game is raw offensively and he will be a guy that the other team dares to shoot, which is why he must develop a serviceable jump shot.

Achiuwa is a poor free-throw shooter, which doesn’t bode well for his jumper, as free-throw percentage is usually a pretty good indicator of a player’s ceiling when it comes to shooting.

He shot just 59.9 percent from the line on six attempts per game. While it’s good that he gets to the line so much, you have to knock them down in the NBA or teams will exploit this weakness.

He doesn’t seem to fit into either the mold of a 3-and-D player, nor a slasher, so there is some concern about what he is going to be on the offensive end and if he will provide enough to stay on the floor.

So, Achiuwa is a potentially elite defender who could be a liability on offense. Does he fit with the New Orleans Pelicans?