Golden State Warriors Draft: Draft Profile for Precious Achiuwa
By Justin Lee
The Golden State Warriors are picking second overall in the upcoming draft. Should they take the best available player or a player of need? If the Warriors were to go the route of need, they should take a look at Precious Achiuwa from Memphis.
Many Golden State Warriors‘ fans think of James Wiseman when they hear Memphis basketball, but Precious Achiuwa was also the real deal. Once Wiseman left, it was clear Precious would be highly coveted in the NBA draft.
Achiuwa shined at Memphis after the departure of Wiseman, and rightfully so. Wiseman was the number one high school recruit in the nation and was expected to be the number one pick in the NBA draft. Precious picked up the slack and got to work from the tip-off.
The 6’9” power forward played a combination of the four and the five. He was one of the most versatile players on the Tigers and can be on the NBA level.
The Memphis Tigers were 21-10 last season and finished 10-8 in the American Athletic Conference. So Precious is accustomed to winning already. Memphis started the preseason ranked at 14th and was ranked as high as ninth. However, they finished the season unranked.
Achiuwa started as a small forward in high school. However, as he continued to grow and put on some muscle, he played more power forward along the way. He played at Montverde Academy in Florida, where he was ranked the third-best player in the state. Precious was ranked the fourth-best small forward in the country for his high school class and the 15th ranked player nationally.
Precious was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and was ranked 15th nationally. At 215 pounds and a 7’2” wingspan, Achiuwa has all the tools to be a great NBA player. He has so many strengths that many big men shouldn’t, but he also struggles with some things.