Charlotte Hornets: How Precious Achiuwa Could be the Steal of the Draft

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Charlotte Hornets James Borrego (Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Necessary Improvements

An aspect of Achiuwa’s game that will be the difference in him being a borderline starter or future All-Star is creativity off the catch. While driving in a direct line downhill is certainly a valuable skill, adding some variety in those takes will be welcomed.

Mainly focusing on the eye test, there is little statistical evidence to back this weakness up. However, watching film from any of Memphis product’s 31 games this past season suggests any issue in this department.

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Developing a consistent floater or jump stop and pull-up shot from 12-16 feet away from the hoop will undoubtedly throw defenders off at the next level. Of course, the famed step-back jumper would catapult his offensive skillset to the next level.

Achiuwa should religiously watch Rudy Gay tape. While the most famous floaters in league history include Chris Paul and Tony Parker, a guard’s playstyle is probably not the next for the future first rounder’s body of work (at this time).

Gay has mastered the in-between game in the latter stage of his career. This is evidenced by boasting a 50% clip from 3-10 feet away from the rim two seasons ago. Achiuwa’s superior first step would generate a high percentage that looks consistent if he becomes confident in his in-between game.

This breakdown would be remiss not to mention the numerous questions surrounding his shooting at the next level. While Charlotte fans have had a Clockwork Orange-esque experience the past eight years in enduring Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s broken shot, Achuiwa will not trigger those memories.

His stroke is extremely smooth and provides a reason for hope. Despite only connecting on 32% of his threes last season, Achiuwa’s stroke is comparable to another tweener’s in DeMarre Carroll. Carroll has enjoyed years of success from behind the arc as a three or stretch four.

Achiuwa showed a growing amount of confidence in his game as the year progressed. As opposed to hesitating before starting a downhill run to the rim in out-of-conference play, he used his elite speed and size to throw the ball down with ferocity by the time March rolled around.

This was also true of his jump shot. He let it fly from behind the arc and trusted his abilities at the free-throw line, resulting in an increased aggressiveness to get to the line as the season droned on.

If you’ve ever read an article advocating for a prospect who can’t shoot, the case study that was probably referenced is Kawhi Leonard when he came out of San Diego State. As Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer beautifully illustrated, this is simply too easy.

Achiuwa will likely not be coached by a development staff that compares to the greatness of the Spurs circa 2011. Most importantly, it would be extremely outlandish to compare the 20-year-old to a two-time Finals MVP.

More reasonable trajectories to strive for include former Hawks teammates, Al Horford or Paul Millsap. These are two power forward’s who were ridiculed for not being able to shoot coming out of college and ultimately developed respectable jumpers to add to already versatile skillsets. Additionally, they both were drafted by forward-thinking franchises and had workable strokes, not unlike Achiuwa’s.

As is the golden rule for any job interview, Achiuwa certainly presents weak spots coming into the league, but they are extremely workable and can be improved by development focused teams such as the Hornets.