When the Raptors bench passes a soap to Precious Achiuwa

After two last failed outings at 3-point where he had returned an 0/8, Precious Achiuwa was crossed by a doubt by refusing a 3-point shot in the first minutes of the match won against Indiana.

Landed in the NBA as a circle protector and finisher in the paint behind Bam Adebayo on the Miami side last season, the Nigerian pivot has yet developed this weapon successfully on the Toronto side this year. He has indeed gone from a single (failed) attempt in 2021 to 36.1% success behind the arc in 2022, to 44/122.

Three players on the back

The action at the start of the matchwhich finally ended with a hesitant drive and a failed lay-up, had the merit of waking him up, especially after the soap that his teammates passed on to him in stride.

“Today, I refused my first shooting situation, one of those shots that I should have taken, on a drive from Fred VanVleet who brought the ball out to me on the wing”, did he remember. “On the next time-out, I actually had three players from the bench come down on me and tell me how badly I should have taken that shot. At the end of the time out, I said to myself: ‘OK, very well, I will take the next ones’. And the rest followed.

And his teammates then saw the Precious Achiuwa he wanted since their interior will finish with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and especially at 4/5 behind the arc. His offensive palette is now much wider, and that’s also what made him successful in this second part of the season. For the month of March for the moment, he is running at 39.6% of address in nearly four attempts per game! Unimaginable when you think back to his rookie season.

“It’s not as if I wonder what could have changed compared to last season, it’s more a question of opportunity. I work a lot on all aspects of my game, and my teammates and the coaching staff have never failed to remind me that when I was open, I have to take the shot.

A question of balance… and trust

For the balance of the team, its partners and the staff of the Raptors know that it is important to exploit the space and the gaps created by the drive, of Fred VanVleet in this case.

By calling him to order in this way, the rest of the team also boosted the player’s confidence, who took the opportunity to correct the shot in stride. From his point of view, the credit goes to him as much as it goes to the staff and the players of Toronto.

“It’s a lot of confidence, and also the faith of my teammates, who keep telling me that I have to take these shots. It gives the player in question a higher level of confidence. You don’t think about anything else. You’re on pace, you feel good with your shot, and everyone, whether it’s the staff or your teammates, too. For many, it’s just having their support that’s a game-changer.”he concluded.