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2017 NBA Rookie Ladder: Is Brandon Ingram A Future Star?

By Nathan Grubel

Nov 29, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram (14) defended by New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Brown (21) during the first quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 29, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram (14) defended by New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Brown (21) during the first quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 23, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (43) smiles after a play during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

9. Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors

I had Pascal Siakam higher in the ladder in last week’s edition. Unfortunately he hasn’t done much lately for the Toronto Raptors to justify his spot.

He had a solid game against the Philadelphia 76ers Monday night in which he shot 4-of-6 from the floor on his way to 11 points for the game. Siakam only grabbed two rebounds in that contest, though.

Getting moved off the block when rebounding is supposed to be one of your key skills doesn’t say a lot. He’s continued to score off easy looks in the lane and has converted the mid-range jumper.

I’m just not sure his ceiling can go any higher if he doesn’t continuously assert himself on the boards.

The book on him is that he’s a hustle forward who rebounds and provides energy. Rebounding is the biggest part of that description, so seeing those numbers down isn’t appealing.

Defensively he got into a lot of foul trouble last Monday against the Los Angeles Clippers. Five fouls limited his time on the court, which means he overwhelmingly lost the physical battle against Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.

Now Siakam can’t be expected to consistently put everything together yet. He’s still just a rookie. But he has to do the things he’s been known for well to keep his minutes or else Patrick Patterson could end up taking them down the stretch.