The Toronto Raptors are in the midst of a rather successful 2021 – 22 campaign. After struggling to get above .500 to start the season, the team rattled off win after win midseason. Now, the team rests seven games above .500 before the 2022 All-Star break, with a clear chance to crack the top 4 in the conference.

Multiple players have stepped up over the course of the season to pilot them to huge wins. Scottie Barnes, the Raptors' first-overall pick this year, has been a tremendous Swiss Army knife. Pascal Siakam is making a case to be selected to an All-NBA spot this year. Fred VanVleet's All-Star heroics have pulled them out of tough situations before. Gary Trent Jr.'s 3-and-D prowess has been instrumental to their success as well.

However, the Raptors player with the most to prove after this break is none other than… Precious Achiuwa. The former Heat first-round pick has been rather up and down in his stint in Toronto, and his production is badly needed for a team that has severe issues with their center rotation.

The 1 Raptors player with most to prove after 2022 All-Star break

Precious Achiuwa was picked up by the Raptors during the off-season as part of the Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade deal. Achiuwa would be show flashes of his potential with the Heat, but he would never get to consistently put it together. Bam Adebayo's presence on the roster also proved to be a major roadblock for his development, as the Heat were more focused on contending than developing their young guys.

So when Achiuwa joined a young Raptors team with some holes on center, many people were expecting him to have a better season. Toronto's player development has been one of the better ones in the league, and a franchise that developed Siakam, VanVleet, and Anunoby into coveted pieces was expected to get the best out of the Nigerian center.

However, Achiuwa was never fully able to capitalize on the opportunities given to him. Injuries to veteran centers Khem Birch and Chris Boucher allowed him to start games for the Raptors, but he didn't make a major impact on the roster. As always, he'd be rather inconsistent on both sides of the ball.

When he was on and engaged, Achiuwa fit seamlessly into Nick Nurse's hyper-aggressive defensive schemes, while also working as a vertical threat on offense. However, Achiuwa would have far too many moments of chucking up ill-advised threes while getting lost on defense. It became rather infuriating to watch.

As a result, Nurse would bench Precious Achiuwa and would opt for a small-ball starting lineup with Barnes at the four and Siakam at the five. Nurse would also lean heavily on his starting unit, presumably not trusting the bench guys to finish games off or hold leads. It's led to great success for the Raptors, but pose some pressing questions for Achiuwa.

Achiuwa is young (just 22 years old) and still in his second year in the league. There's plenty of room for him to improve, especially under a Raptors franchise hailed for their player development. However, he will need to prove that he has what it takes to be an important part of a stingy rotation. Nurse isn't hesitant in benching guys who he feels are underperforming, but if you're playing well, he'll reward you with more playing time.

Achiuwa proving his worth to the Raptors also bodes well for their future. They are finding success with their small-ball starting lineup today, but putting so much strain on Siakam and Barnes' bodies can't be good. They will need Precious Achiuwa to be able to hold his own against the beefy starting centers of the league to alleviate the pressure on their star forwards.