Following an undefeated, 3-0 week for his Toronto Raptors, Pascal Siakam has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. This is the second time he’s been named Player of the Week, as he won exactly a year ago. Fresh off a maximum extension to keep him in Toronto, Siakam’s game has improved dramatically since the last time he won this award.
Over the past week, Siakam averaged 30.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks, and he was a +30 in the three games.
First, Siakam led the Raptors to a fairly easy win over the Sacramento Kings with 23 hyper-efficient points, as he often blended into the background to let teammates like OG Anunoby thrive. Then Siakam dominated with ease, tying his career high of 44 points against the New Orleans Pelicans. Though Siakam was inefficient against the Los Angeles Lakers, his ability to torment Kyle Kuzma as a big reason why the Raptors were able to upset the Lakers. Siakam had at least four assists in all three games.
Big picture, this is really just a stepping stone for Siakam, and it is very unsurprising news. With the departures of alpha scorers DeMar DeRozan after 2017-18 and Kawhi Leonard after 2018-19, Siakam has been asked to fill bigger and bigger shoes. He’s done it without missing a beat, scoring with high efficiency while being defended with increasingly larger shares of team’s defensive attention. Siakam has been one of the best scorers in the league this year for the Raptors, and a Player of the Week award is, while nice, just the beginning. Siakam will soon be playing his way into a much brighter spotlight.
