The 24-year-old forward for the Toronto Raptors participated in a full practice on Tuesday and is getting close to playing against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night. Before receiving the official go-ahead to return, he’ll take part in shootaround on Wednesday, Raptors coach Darko Rajaković told reporters on Tuesday.
The Toronto Raptors had Precious Achiuwa participate in a full practice Tuesday as he nears a return as early as Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks
Precious Achiuwa appears to be on the mend.
Achiuwa has missed four straight games with a left groin strain he suffered on Oct. 28 against the Philadelphia 76ers. It was a reaggravation of the same injury that had him sidelined for most of the preseason last month.
Toronto will likely take it slow with Achiuwa when he first returns but he’s expected to slot back into the rotation as one of the team’s top options off the bench. With the emergence of Otto Porter Jr. for the Raptors, Toronto will likely run a bench rotation headlined by Gary Trent Jr. Gradey Dick, Malachi Flynn, Achiuwa, and Porter with Jalen McDaniels and Chris Boucher the next up should injuries arise.
For Achiuwa, who is trying to recover after a dismal season the previous year, this is a big year. This summer, he will enter restricted free agency, so he needs to establish that he can play in the NBA as at least a high-end rotation player. With eight points and eight rebounds in his season debut, he looked good, but he faltered in the next two games before being hurt.
Christian Koloko, who has been dealing with a respiratory illness since at least Summer League in July, will remain out of action for Toronto.
