Early in the season, the Sacramento Kings recognized they needed a defensive expert and signed free agent Precious Achiuwa. It's turned out to be one of the best decisions they've made this season, proving that he should be part of the Kings' long-term rebuild strategy.
The Kings' are in the midst of their best winning streak of the season after beating the Rockets, the Lakers, and the Knicks in front of the Sacramento crowd. It's been great to see, and is the culmination of a great deal of hard work that didn't always make sense or seem like it was going anywhere.
A big part of that success over this King's home stand has been Precious Achiuwa. He was an unsigned free agent earlier in the season. Considering Doug Christie's single-minded defensive push, it quickly became obvious that Sacramento need a player with a defensive mindset like Achiuwa.
So, eight games into 2025-2026, the Kings signed Precious. One player can't change the culture overnight, which is especially true in the case of Sacramento. it's hard to build change through a seemingly endless barrage of injuries that have been afflicting most of their top players.
Precious Achiuwa brings the heat to Sacramento
In recent games, the Kings' defense has become more tangible and effective. It's still a gritty, no nonsense defense, but it's getting the job done. That's in large part thanks to Precious Achiuwa, who has continued to focus on defense while also becoming an offensive threat for the Kings.
you can take the man out of the borough, but you can't take the borough out of the man 💪👑 pic.twitter.com/q0OgDW6e7H
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) January 15, 2026
In the last three victories, Achiuwa has totaled 39 points, 28 rebounds, five assists, four blocks, and five steals. Even better, he has done all of this relatively cleanly with minimal personal fouls and turnovers. He has only committed six fouls and four turnovers in the same time frame.
Even more impressive are his defensive intangibles that don't necessarily get recorded on the stat sheet. The guy is everywhere on his end of the court, clogging up the lanes and making shots difficult for the opposition. He is doing exactly what you want a defensive maestro like him to do.
At this point, no one knows how the Kings' rebuild is going to play out, but it's safe to assume that a player with Achiuwa's defense first mindset and explosive offensive capabilities will be useful. Hopefully, the front office sees that, too, and makes sure they keep him around in the long term.