The Toronto Raptors, outside of the Kawhi Leonard trade, stayed quiet in the offseason. Their second most impactful catalyst to success will be the added growth of Pascal Siakam.
An under-the-radar member of the Toronto Raptors’ acclaimed “Bench Mob,” Pascal Siakam increased his output significantly last season.
Siakam increased his scoring output from 4.2 points to 7.3 points per game as part of an increased focus on outside shooting. The change in philosophy resulted in a rise in attempts from outside the arch from just seven attempts the season prior, to 1.6 per game.
With another year of focus on outside scoring, the departure of Jakob Poeltl, and philosophy switch under Coach Nick Nurse, Siakam will see his playing time rise from last year’s 20.7-minute allotment.
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An increase in minutes will spell an increase in production for the Cameroon native.
Last season, in the 15 games in which Siakam was on the court for more than 25 minutes, he produced a positive +/- in all but two of the contests.
In just their first preseason game of the year, Siakam played a team-high 20 minutes en route to six points, 13 rebounds, and three assists. The game showed rust. Sure, Siakam shot 3-10 (30%) but he also showed the immense upside he possesses.
In the offseason, Nurse reiterated multiple times that Siakam will be given the opportunity to have the ball in his hands and run the offense. That was in full effect against the Portland Trailblazers as Siakam grabbed multiple rebounds and showed the athleticism and patience to run the offense with the reserves.
Siakam was a key member of several transition possessions for the Raptors against the Trailblazers’ reserves, including a 3-on-2 fast break in which Fred VanVleet dished it to Siakam down low, allowing the big man to capitalize with a layup and the foul.
Another takeaway from their opening preseason matchup was the presence of Jonas Valanciunas amongst the reserves. A starter for much of his career, Valanciunas showed his full potential against the second unit of the Trailblazers, signaling a possible philosophy shift.
If Valanciunas shifts to a bench role where he can go against lesser defenses and put up stat lines as he did in the preseason opener (17 points and seven boards), it may be impactful to several members of the frontcourt.
The shift would allow Siakam to involve himself with the starters more often down the stretch as Ibaka has shown little signs of growth in his time with the Raptors.
In 11 minutes, one of the lowest for any Raptor in the contest, Ibaka put up three points and two rebounds, appearing sluggish for much of the game at the five, with a rejection on Jake Layman while helping down low on defense being a lone bright spot.
Not only did Ibaka’s minutes drop last year, so, too did his scoring and rebounding averages. His three-point percentage also dropped from 39.8% to 36% signaling a decline of effectiveness on the outside.
Siakam does not deserve to start over Ibaka at the onset of the year as the veteran is still more effective from outside. But as the year progresses, if Siakam can work his way even above 30% from beyond the arc, as well as a heightened energy and floor intelligence to run the break, the Raptors will have no choice but to supplant Ibaka in the starting lineup and bring the youngster into the fold.
If he is able to move into the starting lineup, Siakam’s importance to the team would be even greater than it is at this time. With improvements in his outside shot and an increase in playing time, Siakam is in position to grow more than any other Raptor.