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College basketball: 5 best one-and-done players to watch in 2019-2020

By Brandon Jefferson

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 27: Precious Achiuwa #15 and Isaiah Stewart #33 of La Lumiere High School in Indiana smile for the camera after the 2019 McDonald's High School Boys All-American Game on March 27, 2019 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 27: Precious Achiuwa #15 and Isaiah Stewart #33 of La Lumiere High School in Indiana smile for the camera after the 2019 McDonald's High School Boys All-American Game on March 27, 2019 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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SPRINGFIELD, MA – JANUARY 19: Montverde Eagles forward Precious Achiuwa (15) during the first half of the high school basketball game between the Montverde Academy Eagles and Holy Spirit Cougars on January 19, 2019 at Blake Arena in Springfield, MA (Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SPRINGFIELD, MA – JANUARY 19: Montverde Eagles forward Precious Achiuwa (15) during the first half of the high school basketball game between the Montverde Academy Eagles and Holy Spirit Cougars on January 19, 2019 at Blake Arena in Springfield, MA (Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Precious Achiuwa (Memphis)

The main attraction every time the Memphis Tigers take the court this season will be their freshman sensation…James Wiseman. Wiseman is a native of Memphis, Tennesee and ended his high school career as the composite number one player in the nation. Every high-level program was after him but ultimately he decided to stay home and play for his former high school and AAU coach, Penny Hardaway.

Yet, if this season is going to go as well as Hardaway expects it to it is going to be because of another incoming player: forward, Precious Achiuwa. He finished as the 15th-rated player in 247Sports Composite Recruit Rankings and is the other five-star prospect to choose to play for the Tigers in what will likely be his lone season in the NCAA.

At 6-foot-9, and a reported 7-foot-2 wingspan, he has the measurements of the prototypical wing that all NBA teams are looking for. He also has the versatility and athleticism to play either forward position whenever he’s on the floor. His perimeter game remains a work-in-progress but there are flashes of upside on display that make him a player to keep an eye on for all general managers in the league.

Playing next to Wiseman will only make things easier for Achiuwa. He’s used to playing with the best-of-the-best, in high school he spent his final season at Montverde Academy in Florida where he played the sidekick role to the top-ranked player in the 2020 class, Cade Cunningham. Teams won’t be able to dedicate their full attention to him at risk of letting Wiseman get going and in any other program, Achiuwa would easily be the headliner. Here, he’s about as good of a number two as you’ll find in college basketball.

If he is able to play to his potential, Memphis is going to be a really tough team to beat night-in and night-out. He will get to the rim at will as he’s a matchup nightmare, with improvements to his outside shooting and ball-handling there’s a real chance that his draft stock rises. We saw something similar happen before when Michael Kidd-Gilchrist shot up the draft board thanks in part to playing next to Anthony Davis. The two ended up going with the first and second overall picks in the 2012 NBA Draft. Achiuwa and Wiseman have the opportunity to replicate that this year.