Toronto Raptors: 5 keys to second round series vs. 76ers
2. The unexpected gift that is Pascal Siakam
Upon entering the 2018-19 season, most people expected the Raptors to be a top-tier team in the NBA. Due to the surprising emergence of Pascal Siakam, the young forward has taken the team on a whole different level, both offensively and defensively.
In the 80 games Siakam appeared in throughout the regular season, he averaged 16.9 points per game and was the go-to guy to score the basketball behind Kawhi Leonard.
In the series against Orlando, Siakam proved to be pretty much unguardable for Aaron Gordon and had no issue averaging 22.6 points per game. These scoring efforts rank him higher than Kyrie Irving and former Raptor DeMar DeRozan, who are known for their ability to score the basketball.
Siakam is without a doubt the hero the Raptors didn’t know they needed. He has solidified himself as the second scoring option of the team and is most people’s pick to win the Most Improved Player award when it’s all said and done.
Pascal Siakam is EASILY the Most Improved Player, in my opinion! pic.twitter.com/nn42tJ6NwK
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) April 23, 2019
Siakam is set to go up against Tobias Harris in the upcoming games against Philadelphia. Harris is a very prolific scorer, but a quite mediocre defender. It will be very interesting to find out who will have the upper hand in this matchup.