Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
PICKS ARE PRECIOUS
Thunder-Heat a reminder of significance of Achiuwa, reality of draft capital traded away
The presence of the Oklahoma City Thunder as an opponent stands as a contrast of draft choices both present and future for the Miami Heat, with the teams meeting Monday night at American-Airlines Arena.
When it comes to the future, the Thunder essentially control the Heat’s draft well into the decade, including owning the Heat’s unprotected first-round pick this coming offseason. That pick initially was dealt by the Heat to the Phoenix Suns in 2015 as part of the package for Goran Dragic, then flipped to the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers, before winding up in Oklahoma City.
Beyond that, the Thunder hold the Heat’s 2023 first-round pick, a choice protected through that draft’s lottery selections (Nos. 1-14). That pick initially was sent by the Heat to the Los Angeles Clippers in July 2019 to help open the cap space needed to add Jimmy Butler. That pick also is lottery protected for 2024 and ‘25, otherwise unprotected in 2026. Because of that, the Heat, at the moment, cannot trade their future first-round picks in any of those years.
That is what made the Heat’s selection in the 2019 draft so significant. And it has been just that, with Memphis big man Precious Achiuwa, taken at No. 20, already a contributor to Erik Spoelstra’s team.
Entering Monday’s game against the Thunder, Achiuwa stood 10th among NBA rookies in scoring, eighth in rebounding, first in fieldgoal percentage and eighth in blocked shots.
“Having a pro style at Memphis helped my understanding of the game at this level,” Achiuwa said ahead of the Thunder game of his time with the Tigers under former NBA guard Penny Hardaway as head coach and former Heat forward Mike Miller as assistant coach. “I’ve had situations at times where things were moving fast, but I was able to go back and watch film and see things a little different than I used to.
“Just the constant growth and development through watching film and asking questions has helped me.”
Even with a roster loaded with veteran options, Spoelstra has found time for the 6-foor-8 21-year-old, even as veterans such as Meyers Leonard, Kelly Olynyk and Moe Harkless have sat. But the Heat coach cautions that Achiuwa hardly is a finished product.
“Even though he has been playing, we also want to have a little bit of perspective that it’s not easy to jump into this season in particular, without a summer league and a normal summer ramp-up,” Spoelstra said of a pandemic-altered calendar that saw Achiuwa go nine months between his playing time at Memphis and the start of the Heat’s training camp in early December.
“So we’ve been more focused not on just his play during games, but more the development behind the scenes, and he has been very committed to that.”
Spoelstra said it has been a month of exploration for both rookie and coach.
“He’s a worker, he’s diligent, he picks up things quickly, and that’s just an everyday process,” Spoelstra said. “That’s not going to guarantee anything, including playing time. But, you know, his athleticism, his size, his physicality, his rebounding ability, all these things fit well with that second unit right now.”
Mentors such as Bam Adebayo and Udonis Haslem have eased the transition.
“Just the willingness to teach,” Achiuwa said of his tutorials. “Guys are very willing to help me out whenever I ask questions.
They’re always willing to explain things out to me. I think that, right there, is very important, especially to understand the system and the style of play.”
As for Oklahoma City, it’s all about the draft in the future tense. Per the Thunder, “After executing an NBA record 11 trades with 15 other NBA teams during the 2020 offseason, the Thunder now hold 18 first-round draft picks over the next seven years in addition to 13 second-round picks. Also, OKC can swap the least favorable of its own 2021 first and Miami’s 2021 first with Houston’s 2021 first (protected Nos. 1-4), its own 2023 first with LA Clippers’ 2023 first (unprotected), its own 2025 first with LA Clippers’ 2025 first (unprotected), and its own 2025 first with Houston’s 2025 first (protected Nos. 1-10).”