Kansas State found a seemingly perfect fit in transfer forward Achor Achor, a versatile athlete who can play on the wing or as the lone big man and is perfect for the Wildcats’ 5-out offense.
The Samford transfer can put the ball on the floor and drive to the rim while making plays for others. He is a good shooter on a low volume of 3-point attempts with an unorthodox shooting motion.
Achor went to the same prep academy as former K-State player Abayami Iyiola in Georgia and was teammates with Nae’Qwan Tomlin at Chipola College. He is the 88th-ranked player in the transfer portal per the On3 Consensus and 17th by the On3 rankings.
The 6-foot-9, 227-pound is a good pickup for K-State and fills a glaring need for K-State. He is a force multiplier in that he can be the starting big, which allows David N’Guessan to be the first forward off the bench which also allows you to bring fellow transfer Baye Fall along slowly.
He could also start on the wing and allow K-State to chase another big in the transfer portal like Illinois’ Coleman Hawkins or Kentucky’s Ugonna Onyenso. Achor allows K-State a lot of lineup flexibility and he can thrive in a role similar to Nae’Qwan Tomlin did a couple of years ago.
What the stats say
Achor significantly improved in his second season at Samford and almost tripled his points.
This past season he averaged 16.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.8 blocks in 22.7 minutes per game, shooting 58.6% from the field, 43.5% from 3, and 71.2% from the free-throw line.
The 3-point shooting percentage is a good number but it was on less than two attempts per game. He shot over five free throws per game and had a solid free-throw percentage, so there is optimism that the 3-point percentage will be up to par next season
As a sophomore, Achor averaged 6.1 points and 3.5 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per game while shooting 57% from the floor, 33.3% from 3, and 64.9% from the free-throw line. He was primarily in a bench role his sophomore year, only starting one game but in his junior season he started all 33 games.
In addition to having a bigger scoring output, and getting more rebounds, assists, and blocks, it was the most efficient season of his career. Achor had a 119.2 offensive rating on a 28.7% usage rate with a 62.3 effective field goal percentage per Bart Torvik, whose analytical website that provides rankings, stats, graphs, and tables on every college basketball including stat breakdowns on each player.
He also had an 8.8 % block rate and a 54.3% free-throw rate. Among Power Forwards and Centers who entered the transfer portal this season, Achor had the seventh-best offensive rating and was ahead of players like Norchad Omier and Cliff Omoruyi who are seen as some of the best available players in the transfer portal.
Achor was efficient at the rim, shooting 67.6% on 182 attempts, only missed one dunk in 30 attempts, and shot 42.6% on 61 mid-range jumpers.
What the film says
Achor is a good finisher at the rim with a 65% field goal percentage and does it in many ways. He can score as the roll man, from the dunker spot, and when he pops on the pick and roll, he can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. He will also drive to the hoop on dribble handoffs and can easily get past bigger defenders with his quick first step.
He also displays the ability to step out and hit 3-pointers. He is significantly better from the right wing compared to the left wing. From the left wing, he shoots 31%, accounting for 10% of his field goal attempts. Meanwhile, on the left side, he shot 65%, accounting for eight percent of his field goal attempts. A lot of the 3s he shoots are open and because he pops out on the pick and roll with his defender sagging into the lane.
Another area where Achor excels is distributing the ball, whether it be from the high post, top of the key, or dribble handoffs. He shows an ability to get the ball to the cutting offensive player or find the open man from the perimeter.
Achor has been a good rim protector and shot blocker the past two seasons at Samford. He had an 8.9% block rate last season and averaged almost two blocks per game. He does a good job of blocking shots without fouling and will deter players from attacking the rim even as an undersized center at times.
He is a good rebounder for his size, especially on the offensive end. He has an 11.2% offensive rebounding rate and averaged 2.2 offensive rebounds per game last season. He gets in a good position to get the offensive rebound and he will out-hustle defenders for the ball.
An area where he struggled was against bigger post players who could back him down since he was an undersized center. He also shot a low volume of 3s last season and the question remains if teams start guarding him better will he still be able to knock down threes consistently?
Fit with K-State
Achor’s fit with K-State should be seamless and he should be able to come in and be a difference maker right away. One of the areas the K-State coaching staff improved upon this offseason was more length and shooting, Achor provides both of those things.
He has a 67% effective field percentage on catch-and-shoot jumpers which is in the 96th percentile according to College Basketball Scouting, a YouTube channel dedicated to making scouting videos on college basketball players who have entered the transfer portal.. He averages 1.39 points per possession when he scores as the pop man on the pick and roll which is in the 89th percentile.
He posts up about 20% of the time and averaged 0.94 points per possession which ranked in the 68th percentile. He was also an above average as a spot-up shooter, averaging 0.96 points per possession which ranked in the 60th percentile.
Achor was one of the best transfer portal additions for K-State this offseason. His ability to play on the wing or at center will be huge for K-State, the versatility he provides is not something that K-State had last season.
He has shown he is capable of making 3s and stretching the defense which will open up driving lanes for players like Dug McDaniel or CJ Jones. Achor is a Tier 1 addition for K-State and a player the fan base should be excited about, especially after he put up 23 points and eight rebounds against Kansas in the NCAA Tournament.
What Tang said
“I love his resiliency. He has overcome a lot personally as well as on the court. He has a terrific smile, and he raises the energy level in any room or gym he walks in. On top of that, he is a terrific basketball player, as his mobility and versatility make him a mismatch nightmare. He’s been part of a winning culture at Samford, along with his NCAA Tournament experience, and will add great value to our locker room. I know our fans will enjoy getting to know him. The passion he plays with is infectious.”
