The Toronto Raptors traded Precious Achiuwa along with O.G. Anunoby to the New York Knicks for Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and a 2024 second-round pick (via Detroit) on Dec. 30.
The Raptors got started with their rebuild by moving on from Anunoby who is set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer.
They also gave up project big man Achiuwa who stalled with his development during his time in Toronto.
Achiuwa was the main piece the Raptors got back in the Kyle Lowry deal in the summer of 2021.
Achiuwa averaged 8.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 153 games for the Raptors in his career.
He struggled to find any form of consistency, leading to the end of his Raptors tenure.
In New York, Achiuwa seems revitalized. He is currently playing the best basketball of his career as a starter for the Knicks.
It has been 10 games since Achiuwa entered the Knicks’ starting lineup, filling in at power forward for the injured Julius Randle.
According to the Athletic’s Fred Katz, the big man has played more than 40 minutes a game during this stretch and is averaging 14.3 points to go with 10.3 rebounds.
During his career Achiuwa has never been able to pull down offensive rebounds at the rate he is going at. He has been a force on the glass.
Since arriving in New York, Achiuwa is recovering 14 percent of his team’s missed shots, which would be a career high per Katz.
Achiuwa will be key piece for Knicks
The 24-year-old’s numbers should take a hit once Randle returns to the starting lineup. However, Achiuwa will still be a feature guy on the Knicks’ bench come playoff time.
Alec Burks, Bojan Bogdanović, Josh Hart and Achiuwa will be an enticing second unit for the Knicks to lean on.
It is a shame that Achiuwa never realized his truest potential with the Raptors. However, sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery for a player to get things going.
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