Toronto Raptors 2016-17 player grades: The youngsters
By Nate Wolf
Pascal Siakam
The Raptors started who for the first half of the season? Pascal Siakam was a no-name rookie out of New Mexico State who somehow made 38 starts at power forward for Toronto.
Let’s be clear, Siakam did not play well. He played like the 27th overall pick in the draft, which is to say he played pretty poorly. Toronto’s early-season starting lineup with Siakam was outscored by 8.8 points per 100 possessions. That’s putrid.
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Siakam did little to help the Raptors this season. But in return, the Raptors did everything to help Siakam. The 23-year-old received a baptism of fire against the best basketball players in the world. He may only have played 859 minutes, but that time is more valuable than 1,500 garbage time minutes.
And Siakam did show flashes of a credible, perhaps even intriguing NBA big man. He made just 35.7 percent of his catch-and-shoot jumpers, but he has the framework of a reliable jump shot. He’ll continue to refine his stroke, with the goal of eventually developing a corner three.
Siakam’s greatest strengths lie on the other end of the floor. The Cameroon native blocked 1.9 shots per 36 minutes, an elite number for a rookie with middling size. He also displayed decent lateral quickness when forced to guard the perimeter.
With a 7-foot-3 wingspan, Siakam has the potential to be a plus-defender all across the floor. Few players are capable for protecting the rim and switching onto wings.
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Siakam isn’t there yet. He rebounded like a wing, didn’t shoot well enough, and isn’t much of a passer. The Raptors also played better defense with the rookie on the bench. But Siakam dominated the 12 games he played for Raptors 905, and got invaluable experience at the NBA level. Siakam is too good for the D-League, and he may be good enough to cement a place in the Raptors’ rotation next season.