Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo is Already Raving About Rookie Precious Achiuwa

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo places high expectations on first-round pick Precious Achiuwa

Miami Heat rookie Precious Achiuwa has yet another member of his fan club.

And the latest is the player he is compared to the most. Heat center Bam Adebayo had nothing but praise when asked about his early impressions of Achiuwa.

“He reminds me of myself when I was at Kentucky but he had way more leeway,” Adebayo said. “I feel like his rookie year is going to be better than mine, me being honest.”

The Heat chose Achiuwa with the No. 20 pick in the first round of last month’s draft. The 6-foot-8 forward has drawn comparisons to Adebayo because of their similar versatility. Both players can impact the game in the paint and perimeter. Like Adebayo, Achiuwa (Memphis) played just one season in college.

The Heat are also expecting to see similar growth. By his third season, Adebayo was an All-Star and considered one of the league’s young superstars. Adebayo has taken on a mentor role for Achiuwa and wants to “make him as comfortable as possible” in the locker room.

“I feel like he has more skill than I did coming into my rookie year,” Adebayo said. “It’s going to be fun to work with Precious and just figure out what his mindset is and how he wants to go about his rookie year.”  

The Heat open practice Sunday and play their first regular season game Dec. 25 against the New Orleans Pelicans.

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