Inside The Heat

There's little risk (now) with Pat Riley's latest signing

Ethan J. Skolnick|
Feb 22, 2020; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley speaks during a jersey and number retirement ceremony for Dwyane Wade (not pictured) at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images
Feb 22, 2020; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley speaks during a jersey and number retirement ceremony for Dwyane Wade (not pictured) at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

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Miami Heat

The decision to draft Precious Achiuwa did not come without consequences.

While the Miami Heat have mostly hit on their first round picks over the past decade, even though they've not been in the top 10, the selection of Achiuwa out of Memphis at No. 20 in 2020 didn't bear the fruit the team expected. Achiuwa had moments during his short first Heat tenure, but he was undersized and didn't shoot well, and eventually was dealt to Toronto for Kyle Lowry.

Making it worse? Achiuwa was drafted ahead of guards Tyrese Maxey and Desmond Bane, both of whom became far better players. `

This time around, however, the risk is far smaller.

Achiuwa has returned to the Heat, but on a prove-it contract, with expectations diminished and with a roster spot already open. He's in Miami simply to fill a role, as an emergency frontcourt option, and he will need to show himself worthy of even that.

As Keith Smith of Spotrac reported, there's no guarantee that Achiuwa makes it out of training camp, which starts September 30 at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.

Miami is vigilant about not staying over the luxury tax, as it tries to avoid repeater penalties. And while the team has all season to find another way to get under it, the onus will be on Achiuwa to prove he's worth that trouble. He will be competing in camp with two-way signee Vlad Goldin, among others.

Erik Spoelstra has a comfort level with Achiuwa from their prior time together, and there are reports that Pat Riley always hoped to get him back. But the contract Achiuwa signed suggests that the player didn't have that many options. So he will need to make the best of this opportunity, and show the Heat some of what they saw in him to make the commitment they did in 2020.

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Ethan J. Skolnick
ETHAN J. SKOLNICK

Ethan has covered all major sports -- in South Florida and beyond -- since 1996 and is one of the longest-tenured fully credentialed members of the Miami Heat. He has covered, in total, more than 30 NBA Finals, Super Bowls, World Series and Stanley Cup Finals. After working full-time for the Miami Herald, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Bleacher Report and several other outlets, he founded the Five Reasons Sports Network in 2019 and began hosting the Five on the Floor podcast as part of that network. The podcast is regularly among the most downloaded one-team focused NBA podcasts in the nation, and the network is the largest independent sports outlet in South Florida, by views, listens and social media reach. He has a B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University and an M.S. from Columbia University. TWITTER: @EthanJSkolnick and @5ReasonsSports EMAIL: fllscribe@gmail.com

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