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Toronto Raptors: Pascal Siakam’s case for Most Improved Player

By Holden Walter-Warner

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 15: Pascal Siakam #43 of the Toronto Raptors is seen during the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 15, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 15: Pascal Siakam #43 of the Toronto Raptors is seen during the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 15, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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The Toronto Raptors have a leading candidate for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award this season named Pascal Siakam, and he’s not going anywhere.

At the beginning of the year, when asked to name a potential Most Improved Player candidate from the Toronto Raptors, one name came to mind: Pascal Siakam.

Over the first two seasons of his career, the big man showed plenty of signs of potential without ever quite breaking through in a major way. The opportunity was available for him to step up during his third season, though.

And stepped up Siakam has.

His numbers this season have been up almost universally across the board. He’s averaging a career-high in points (15.0 per game), rebounds (7.0), assists (2.9), steals (1.0), free throw percentage (78.2 percent), field goal percentage (57.1 percent), and 3-point field goal percentage (31.6 percent).

Most importantly, he’s doing all of it for the team with the best record in the NBA, intricately linking his performance with his team’s results.

https://twitter.com/NBACanada/status/1083768417918898177

Lest one think his efforts don’t contribute enough to the Raptors with Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry leading the charge, he added his first career game-winner to the resume against the Phoenix Suns.

A less discussed part of Siakam’s production is just how impressive his leap has been from last year. While he was a solid player in 2017-18, he almost exclusively came off the bench. That means he generally played against opponents’ reserves as well.

This season, Siakam is a bona fide starter once more, just as he was during his trial-by-fire rookie season. He’s doubling his point production and soaring in other categories while going against the NBA’s best, night after night.

Toronto has been dealing with a rash of injuries all season. Lowry has missed time. Center Jonas Valanciunas has missed time. Point guard Fred VanVleet (a preseason Sixth Man of the Year contender) has missed time. Leonard still sits out a portion of the team’s back-to-backs, as recently as this week.

Siakam has been the steadying force through the storm for Toronto.

He has played in all but one game for the team, starting all but one of those games. Siakam sports a positive plus/minus of +7.0 this season, a career-high. The only Raptors that sport a better plus/minus so far this season are Danny Green and Lowry.

Siakam also sports the best plus/minus among anyone drafted in 2016, with only former Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon within striking distance.

Just for fun, here’s a list of some superstars who trail Siakam in the plus/minus department this season: Joel Embiid, Rudy Gobert, Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Paul Millsap — the list goes on and on.

There are other players who deserve some love in the Most Improved Player race. The Sacramento Kings have seen breakouts from both De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield. Domantas Sabonis has been a revelation for the Indiana Pacers. Spencer Dinwiddie is making a playoff threat out of the Brooklyn Nets.

But no player has made a bigger leap than Siakam, and no team has benefited more from a single player’s improvement than Toronto has from Siakam’s development.

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For that reason, as long as this production continues for the second half of the season, Pascal Siakam should receive the first Most Improved Player award in Toronto Raptors history.

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