Toronto Raptors: 3 Raptors players who need big final stretch

3. Pascal Siakam

Look, every month is an important one for Pascal Siakam – heavy is the head that wears the crown and he’s now the undisputed king of the Toronto Raptors, even with Kyle Lowry still around. This team will live and die based on the play of the forward.

But it’s particularly important that he stays in a groove during the final month of the season. The Raptors don’t want to enter the dog days of the season with their star suddenly losing some of his steam.

This has been a career year for Siakam, who followed up his Most Improved Player award with his first trip to the NBA All-Star Game in February. He’s averaging 23.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, all high marks of his career. That being said, he’s shown the slightest amount of regression since the All-Star break.

Siakam averaged at least 24 points per game during the first three months of the season, but he averaged just 20.8 points per game in January before rebounding to hit 23.1 points per game in February. He scored just 16 points on the first day of March, struggling with his shot against the Denver Nuggets.

There’s no reason to be concerned about Siakam, especially after one slightly off game. A big final month from him would foreshadow big things from the Raptors, though.