What did Heat rookie Precious Achiuwa learn from first NBA start? And a Heat donation

Miami Heat rookie big man Precious Achiuwa’s first NBA start came against Philadelphia 76ers All-Star center Joel Embiid.

And as expected, it was a learning experience for Achiuwa.

Embiid was dominant with 45 points on 16-of-23 shooting, 16 rebounds, four assists and five steals to lead the 76ers to an overtime win over the COVID-19-depleted Heat on Tuesday. Embiid is the first NBA player to finish with such a stat line since the 1983-84 season, according to SportRadar.

“He’s a really good player, we all know that,” Achiuwa said before the Heat went up against the 76ers for the second consecutive game Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center. “For me just going in, I haven’t really played guys that good, especially at this level. So just every day constantly learning the game and constantly understanding and learning guys’ strengths and weaknesses, and learning how to guard players. ... For me, just being able to quickly adjust and understanding guys’ tendencies, what they like to do, where they like to drive and stuff like that moving forward.”

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But just because Embiid went off for a 40-point double-double doesn’t mean Achiuwa didn’t have positive moments in his first NBA start.

Achiuwa, who the Heat selected with the 20th pick in this year’s draft, finished Tuesday’s loss with career highs in points (17), field goals made (7), rebounds (13) and minutes (36). He started in place of All-Star center Bam Adebayo, who is one of the Heat’s eight players unavailable for Tuesday and Thursday’s games in Philadelphia because of the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

Achiuwa, 21, showed off a part of his offensive game that has not been used much early this season. After 22 of his first 23 made shots of the season came from within five feet of the basket, he opened Tuesday’s contest by hitting a 14-foot pull-up jump shot from the free-throw line.

“For me, it’s just a constant learning process,” Achiuwa said.

Also, Achiuwa flashed his offensive rebounding ability that resulted in a few extra Heat possessions, as he scored eight second-chance points on six offensive rebounds Tuesday.

Achiuwa, who entered Thursday averaging 17.4 minutes of playing time per game, has been a key part of the Heat’s bench rotation to begin the season — although he had to start in Adebayo’s place this week. But coach Erik Spoelstra recently noted that it’s important to remember the accelerated NBA schedule forced rookies to begin the season just about a month after the draft.

“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. “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. He’s a worker, he’s diligent, he picks up things quickly and that’s just an every day process. 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.”

STAYING CONNECTED

The Heat’s eight players who are away from the team because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols missed their second consecutive game Thursday.

The list of those unavailable for Miami because of the NBA’s protocols are Adebayo, Avery Bradley, Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, Moe Harkless, Udonis Haslem, Kendrick Nunn and KZ Okpala.

“Just staying in communication,” Spoelstra said when asked about those eight players. “I think the guys who were most excited about the group’s performance and competitiveness [Tuesday] were the guys in Miami. They were just really inspired by [Tuesday’s] game.”

There is a possibility that Heat players who are out because of contact tracing purposes could return for Saturday’s home game against the Detroit Pistons if they continue to return negative tests. At least one Heat player tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days.

▪ The NBA and National Basketball Players Association added stricter guidelines to the COVID-19 health and safety protocols this week that requires all players to wear masks on the bench at all times. Coaches and other team staff have had to wear masks at all times during games since the start of the season.

“Your form of communication has to change, but I can’t even believe how much of the norm this has become,” Spoelstra said of wearing a mask for games, practices and other team activities. “I’ll be in my hotel room by myself, and a lot of times I have my mask on and not even realize it.”

▪ While the Heat remains without eight players because of health and safety protocols and center Meyers Leonard (left shoulder strain) has also been ruled for Thursday’s game against the 76ers, Miami will have the NBA minimum of eight available players to play the contest.

Those eight are Achiuwa, Tyler Herro, Andre Iguodala, Kelly Olynyk, Duncan Robinson, Chris Silva, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent.

▪ The Heat and the Micky & Madeleine Arison Family Foundation donated $1 million to Direct Relief’s Health Equity Fund, which the team said in a Thursday press release “expands the organization’s work toward health equity by ensuring health centers and free and charitable clinics have access to the medicines and funding they need to serve their communities.” The donation represents the next step the Heat is taking to “deliver on their social justice pledge and effect positive change that uplifts the Black community,” the team said in the release.

“Direct Relief is a humanitarian organization committed to improving the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies. It delivers lifesaving medical resources throughout the world to communities in need — without regard to politics, religion, or ability to pay,” the Heat said in the release.

Donations to Direct Relief’s Health Equity Fund can be made at HEAT.com/donate.