Toronto Raptors: 5 takeaways from the 2018-19 NBA season

2. Pascal Siakam is a future star in the NBA

Pascal Siakam was the breakout star of the 2018-19 season, having quickly gone from long-term project to immediate two-way contributor. The former late first round pick averaged 16.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game during the regular season, all but locking up the league’s Most Improved Player Award in the process.

For someone with as little experience as Siakam, the playoffs were where he was supposed to get exposed by more complex defensive coverages. Opponents would pay him more attention and it would inevitably slow his hype train down considerably.

Those struggles never came. In fact, as great players do, Siakam elevated his level of play despite a stark decrease in 3-point efficiency, dropping in 19.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Some nights saw him fade into the background with a subpar performance. Then there were the polar opposites that had the 24-year-old front and center.

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Draymond Green has taken plenty of opponents prisoners with his unrelenting physicality and energy. One victim he couldn’t claim is Siakam, who averaged 19.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game on 50.5 percent shooting in the Finals.

He was a force in transition who showed off some nifty moves in the post. The NBA world knew Siakam was destined for stardom after the regular season. His showing in the playoffs confirmed that notion even more and has everyone on the edge of their seats, excited about what his bright future holds.