Written By Mauricio Segura // Image Created By: The Golden Bay Times Graphics Dept.
NOV 4, 2026
A missed shot can be an invitation or an insult. For much of the 2025-26 season, Sacramento needed more players willing to make it the latter. When the Kings signed Precious Achiuwa on November 5, 2025, they weren't shopping for another player who needed 20 shots to feel useful. They needed somebody to fight for rebounds, defend bigger opponents and give their scorers room to breathe. Twelve months later, Achiuwa has provided enough evidence that those unglamorous assignments can turn an emergency signing into a lasting job.
The situation he inherited was ugly. Sacramento had lost five of its first seven games. Despite Domantas Sabonis averaging 14.2 rebounds, the Kings ranked last in the NBA with 38.9 boards per game and were surrendering 56.3 points in the paint. Keegan Murray was recovering from surgery on his left thumb, and coach Doug Christie had been using undersized combinations. Sacramento waived Isaac Jones to make space for Achiuwa, a 6-foot-8, 243-pound forward with the strength to play near the basket and the mobility to defend away from it.
Achiuwa did not pretend to be something else. Asked what he could contribute, he offered a straightforward inventory: size, defense, rebounding and toughness. He also spoke about making life easier for the established stars rather than demanding more offense for himself. The veteran company was familiar territory. Sacramento had Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Russell Westbrook and Malik Monk, players who could handle the scoring and creation while Achiuwa chased the possessions that never appear on a highlight reel.
His résumé explained why Sacramento took the chance. Born in Nigeria and developed at Memphis, Achiuwa was Miami's 20th overall selection in the 2020 draft. Stops with the Heat, Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks gave him experience in different frontcourts and 26 playoff appearances before he joined the Kings. He had spent the preceding preseason with Miami but was not retained. At the time of his signing, he owned career averages of 7.6 points and 5.7 rebounds across 320 regular-season games. He knew his responsibilities and, just as importantly, his limitations.
His first Kings appearance, against Golden State that same November 5, was modest: four points, three rebounds and one block in nine minutes during a 121-116 Sacramento win. What followed was a much larger assignment. Achiuwa played 73 games, started 57 and averaged a career-best 10.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 23.9 minutes. He shot 52.8 percent from the field, collected 177 offensive rebounds and added 65 steals and 50 blocks. Those extra chances were especially valuable to a club that finished 22-60.
The moments that explained his value were rarely tidy. Against his former Knicks teammates on January 14, Achiuwa gathered 20 points and 14 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass, as Sacramento won 112-101. He also recorded two steals and two blocks. On March 5, he produced 29 points, 12 rebounds and five assists against New Orleans, although the Kings lost 133-123. Then came April 1 in Toronto. Playing in an arena he once called home, Achiuwa seized 19 rebounds, 11 of them offensive, and scored 28 points in a 123-115 victory. DeRozan scored 28 that night, too, including 14 in the fourth quarter.
There were weaknesses behind the production. Achiuwa hit only 27.8 percent of his three-point attempts and 55.4 percent of his free throws last season. He could not fix Sacramento's spacing by himself, and one frontcourt addition was never going to erase a 60-loss campaign. But the Kings had enough reason to keep him, signing him to a new two-year contract on July 7, 2026.
The early returns this season offer the same mixture of effort and unfinished business. Achiuwa scored 24 points on 12-of-17 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds at New Orleans on October 29. Four steals strengthened the case for his defensive value. In Sacramento's first victory, a 115-100 win in Dallas on November 2, he scored just six points but supplied 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. Two nights later, he managed seven points, three rebounds and two blocks in 17 minutes as the Lakers beat Sacramento 116-103. Through eight games, he is averaging 11.0 points and 6.1 rebounds, while the Kings sit at 1-7.
One year after he praised the atmosphere at Golden 1 Center and welcomed the chance to play for its fans, Achiuwa is no longer an unfamiliar late addition. He is a returning contributor whose effort has earned both minutes and another contract. Sacramento still has serious problems to solve, and toughness alone will not solve them. But when a shot hits the rim and everyone turns to find the ball, Achiuwa has built his Sacramento career on being the player who turns first.
