Toronto Raptors: Pascal Siakam has officially arrived
Pascal Siakam has always presented promise for the Toronto Raptors. Against the Golden State Warriors, he delivered on that promise.
The Toronto Raptors were an NBA title threat with Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry leading the charge.
If Pascal Siakam plays like he did against the Golden State Warriors, Toronto becomes an NBA title favorite.
Thursday’s competition turned into a one-on-one battle between Kevin Durant and Leonard. Durant got the individual upper hand with 51 points, but Leonard and the Raptors earned the win.
Toronto couldn’t have done it without Siakam.
Another career night for Pascal Siakam, who has something like 23 of those in a row.
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) November 30, 2018
The power forward dropped a career-high 26 points in the victory. That included a solid 3-for-4 shooting performance from 3-point range.
On a night when the bench struggled — only Delon Wright posted a positive plus/minus — Siakam proved he belongs with the starters, missing just one free throw (on eight attempts) and two field goals all night, outpacing the likes of Lowry and Serge Ibaka on the scoresheet.
"“His confidence is very high,” coach Nick Nurse told ESPN after the game."
That’s an understatement.
Granted, this is not the first time Siakam has looked like a revelation this season. It’s just the first time so many national eyes were trained upon him.
This season, Siakam is averaging 14.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He’s also shooting 34.9 percent from 3-point range, far and away the best mark of his young career.
He’s been especially solid as of late. Siakam has scored at least 21 points in three of his last five games (prior to his 15-point performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers), the second time he’s done so this season.
That’s not to say there isn’t room for improvement. Siakam was drawn away from the hoop on both ends of the court against the Warriors, resulting in a season low-tying two rebounds on the night.
Nevertheless, the team should be thrilled to see him capitalizing on his vast offensive potential.
The big man from Cameroon was a first round pick of the organization back in the 2016 NBA Draft. He was coming off a WAC Player of the Year performance, when he averaged a double-double during his sophomore season.
You want to cringe, take a look at the players drafted before Pascal Siakam in 2016. Hitting on these types of picks so crucial to championship-level teams.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) November 30, 2018
Siakam started 38 games his rookie season, but didn’t show much in terms of production, averaging just 4.2 points per game and shooting a lowly 14.3 percent from 3-point range. Both of those numbers saw a slight uptick during his second season, as he moved from a starting role to a reserve role.
This year, he has run with a new opportunity to shine and a return to the starting lineup.
In November, he earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career, an accolade following his stretch of three straight 20-point performances. In addition to his career-high point total against Golden State, he also set a career-high in rebounds (15) this season.
Siakam has also knocked down 15 3-pointers (more than halfway to a career best) and 61 free throws (already a career best) — all of this from a player who didn’t knock down a single 3-point shot during his first season in college, just four short years ago.
Before the season, Siakam showed the potential to be the league’s Most Improved Player. Nobody on the team seemed more primed for a breakout than the Cameroon native.
A third of the way through the season, Pascal Siakam has been all of that and more.
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Best of all, this seems like only the beginning.