Sure, Precious Achiuwa missed crucial free throws. But the Raptors hope Game 3 was a big step forward in his development

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This article was published 21/04/2022 (1602 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It would have been unfathomable six months ago to think Precious Achiuwa would be in the spot he was in Wednesday night — at the free throw line with the biggest game of the year hanging in the balance, seconds to go in a tied game. It was as pressure-packed and as important a moment as he has faced at any point in his career.

It did not turn out well — the 22-year-old missed two foul shots — but this entire Raptors season has been about learning lessons and gaining experience. No one promised they would all turn out wonderfully.

“That’s the heartbreak of this game and what makes it so great,” Raptors guard Fred VanVleet said after Toronto’s 104-101 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. “He’s a huge reason why we were even in the picture … with his defence, his cutting to the rim … he had a blocked shot and a couple of big dunks. He was 9-for-11 from the field. Off the bench, that’s incredible.

“For a young guy to have a breakout performance like that is big for him. He’ll lose some sleep over the free throws, as we all do. We’ve all been there but we got to bounce back and get better from it.”

The context of the Raptors season was wrapped up in the play of Achiuwa, OG Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. They have been the least playoff-experienced of the team’s core players in Games 2 and 3, and the more chances they get, the better off things should be in the long run.

The trio’s combined 70 points Wednesday — Achiuwa had 20, Trent 24 and Anunoby 26 — and the mere fact they were key components of a stressful learning experience — may ultimately make the Game 3 loss a step forward.

“I think every game’s a learning experience,” Anunoby said. “You can get better from every game, win or loss, and I think (Achiuwa and Trent) both played amazing and this will help catapult their careers.”

When it happens again, Achiuwa and the Raptors will be better for the pain and anguish that Wednesday caused.

“First time I’m actually playing significant minutes in the playoffs, just learning,” Achiuwa said. “Moving on, just getting better. Definitely I know I’m going to be back here a lot of times in my career … it’s a learning experience moving forward for me.”

It is still hard to take. The magnitude of the Raptors’ job is unspeakable — no NBA team has come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series — and the lingering sting of an overtime loss at the buzzer will linger.

There are probably some strategic moves that can be made, although being tied with two seconds left in overtime would suggest the Raptors played very well for much of Wednesday. It will be the mental side that will be worth watching in Game 4 on Saturday afternoon.

“Yeah, well there’s no moral victories right now,” VanVleet said. “We can sit back once it’s all said and done … and appreciate and have an optimistic perspective, but right now we’re still in the trenches, still in the fight.

“We’ve got to bring even more fight in a couple of days. There’s no room to look around and feel sorry for ourselves.”

Achiuwa’s presence on the court late in the game is an example of the growth some of the Raptors have made, no matter when or how bitterly this season ends. Achiuwa, who played nearly 36 minutes in the playoff home opener, was light years better than the skittish second-year big man who first showed up at training camp.

“He’s worked really hard on his shooting and his free-throw shooting this year, he’s going to continue to work on that,” coach Nick Nurse said. “I’m really proud of the way he played.

“Don’t want him to live in that play for sure because he was really, really effective and forceful out there (Wednesday). And that’s just what happens. Man, you get out there and you play this game, you’re going to get put in situations like that and you’re going to live and die with the results.”

Nurse has spoken all season log about the need for reps, about tight situations and pressure and how they show young players what it’s really like in the hardest moments. They had one, it didn’t go well. They need others.

“Listen,” Nurse said, “we need more games. We’ve got to figure out a way to dig in there Saturday afternoon and figure out how to get more games because I think you can see, again, some obviously valuable time out there for Precious, OG, Chris (Boucher).

“Those guys need these moments.”

Doug Smith is a sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @smithraps