Pascal Siakam Off to Fast Start for Raptors with Room to Improve

Pascal Siakam has not slowed down since winning the NBA Championship. 

The start of his 2019/2020 season for the Toronto Raptors has epitomized validation. A showcase of his natural basketball gifts, while highlighting the necessary areas for improvement. All a part of the process of growing as a young basketball player. 

In the season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans, Siakam recorded his first double-double of the season, with 34 points and 18 rebounds. Despite fouling out down the stretch, Siakam was an integral contributor on both sides of the ball, as the Raptors beat the Pelicans 130-122 in overtime. 

Friday’s game against the Boston Celtics was indicative of early-season rust. Neither team shot above 50 percent from the field and the Raptors committed 23 of the game’s 30 total turnovers, resulting in a 112-106 loss on the road. But it was Siakam who, along with point guard Kyle Lowry, anchored the Raptors offensive production. 

With 33 points and eight rebounds, which included a stretch where he was five for five above the break on three-pointers, Siakam has propelled himself as the Raptors leading scorer (34 PPG). Yes, there is the caveat that two games have been played, hence producing a small sample size of possessions. 

But it is hard not to get excited with Siakam’s beginning to the season. It started with a rookie-scale max contract extension of four-years, $130 million, signed before the season. Now, it is translating to two positive performances on the court to start the 2019/20 campaign. 

“I try to work on everything (in the summer), obviously. Like I always say, whatever is my weakness, I try to work on it and I try to get better at it,” Siakam said. “Today I made some shots. It feels good to see them finally go in.”

Last season saw Siakam experience a meteoric rise in his game. He achieved a career-best 549 rebounds during the 2018/19 season while starting to consistently drive the basket with conviction. Who could forget Siakam’s postseason, where he averaged 19.0 PPG, 7.1 RPG and 2.8 APG in 24 games played. 

The horn sounding at Oracle Arena, concluding Game 6 of the NBA Finals, propagated Siakam’s status as a playoff performer. His 26 points and 10 rebounds in the Raptors 114-110 championship-clinching victory over the Golden State Warriors launched Siakam into the national consciousness of rising NBA talent. Unafraid in shutting down the Warriors prolific scoring offense en route to the Raptors’ inaugural NBA championship. 

The journey to a title defense, while just two games in, has seen Siakam embrace his new role on the main rotation. In the post-Kawhi Leonard era, the 6-foot-9, 230 pound forward is now shouldering a greater deal of the usage on offense:

Toronto Raptors Player Usage Rate (2018/19 & 2019/20) 

(Source: Basketball-Reference)

Last season playing with Kawhi, Siakam used 20.8 percent of his team’s offensive possessions. This year, his usage has increased to 35.5 percent over two games, demonstrating his major contributing role on the offense. It is clear that Siakam is inheriting the majority of the ball-handling and playmaking responsibilities on offense, similar to what Leonard did last season with a usage rate of 30.3 percent. 

In addition to high usage, Siakam’s total shooting percentage is 55.1 percent, second to Fred VanVleet (82.4 percent through two games). This is in large part due to Siakam’s ability to garner success from beyond the arc. 

Pascal Siakam 3-Point Percentage Through the Years

(Source: Basketball-Reference)

When Siakam first came into the league, he barely would shoot the three, evidenced by his 14.3 three-point percentage on seven attempts in 2016-17. As a result of lots of time spent working on the mechanics of his shot, Siakam is exhibiting greater confidence with his shooting stroke. 

So much so, that he would drain five consecutive three-pointers above the break against the Celtics in the third quarter. An early-season confidence booster that signals that his deep ball is coming into form. 

“He came back (the) summer (before his second season) much improved. His mechanics were better,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse stated. “His getting rid of it was better and his making it was better.” 

Through the first two games, the Raptors have generated 45 assists, with Siakam recording seven. In addition to being effective in the post with his “spin-o-Rama” layups, Siakam has been facilitating the ball-movement that Nurse wants to see in his guys. Most notable was against the Pelicans when Siakam dished an assist on the pick-and-roll to OG Anunoby, who went to the hoop for an uncontested slam dunk. 

OGs believe in safety pic.twitter.com/izDxK26hSs

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 23, 2019

But the greater playmaking burden on Siakam has shown his affinity to get into foul trouble in both the first two games. Against the Celtics, Siakam’s ball-handling and movement was at times overly aggressive and careless, leading to five turnovers. Furthermore, Siakam needs to be better protecting the rim, highlighted in only generating two offensive rebounds against the Celtics. Offensive rebounding is a team-wide problem for the Raptors thus far; against the Celtics, Toronto had five offensive rebounds to Boston’s 21. As a result, the Celtics had 19 second-chance points to only two for the Raptors.

“I’ve got to be better making decisions with the ball knowing there’s more attention and there’s help coming,” said Siakam. “If there’s an opportunity to go quick, I can go quick. If not, I’ll just relax, see how the defense plays it and make plays. I’ve gotta be better. I can’t have five turnovers.”

Winning at home on opening night was a cherry on top after the illustrious ring and banner ceremony. Losing on the road provides many valuable lessons for the defending champion Toronto Raptors. 

For Pascal Siakam, these first two games have shown that the next step to becoming an All-Star might be sooner rather than later. The achievement is in his grasp; it is now time to get to work to have complete games.