Toronto Raptors: Pascal Siakam is playing best basketball of his career

Toronto Raptors’ powerforward, Pascal Siakam, is playing the best basketball of his career. What’s the reason for his success and is this sustainable?

The Toronto Raptors are not playing well. Over the past week, they’ve gone 1-2 with their sole win being against the lowly New York Knicks. Yikes. One player who is playing well, Pascal Siakam. Siakam is playing the best basketball of his life and has been the Raptors best player over the past two weeks.

We aren’t the only ones who have been impressed with Siakam’s play. Based upon the games played from November 4th – November 11th, he won the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the week.

However, Siakam’s play has included more than that week-long stretch. Siakam has been excellent since a first-quarter dismantling of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Over the last six games, Siakam is averaging 19.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. However, more impressive than his raw numbers is the efficiency at which he is producing them. Over that stretch, Siakam has a field goal percentage of 67.2, a free-throw percentage of 90.5, and here’s the kicker, a three-point percentage of 42.9.

That last number is the key to Siakam’s revelation. If he is able to shoot average, let alone 40-percent, from beyond the arc, he becomes an entirely different player.  Siakam without a three-point shot is a nice role player. Siakam with a three-point shot is a fringe all-star.

Siakam’s past two weeks

Against L.A.., Siakam recorded a quick double-double notching 16 points and 13 rebounds (five offensive). He dished out a couple of dimes and helped Serge Ibaka in a first-quarter drumming of the Lakers. The Lakers have no semblance of an interior defense, but the game was impressive nonetheless.

L.A. had no interior defenders. Utah was going to be a different challenge. Still, against elite rim-protection in Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert, Siakam continued his excellent play. He scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds, shooting 7-11 along the way.

The Knicks was Siakam’s best contest yet. He scored a career-high 23 points, including 14 in the third quarter alone. Toronto struggled with New York until early in the second half. Siakam’s quarter was a big part of their ability to pull away. The best part of his Knicks’ performance, the 3-4 shooting from beyond the arc.

The Raptors have not played well the past two games. Neither game was a failure of Pascal Siakam. He’s continuing to play well, averaging nearly 20 points per game on 67-percent shooting. Over this two-game stretch, he has hit 3-5 three-pointers also, improving his percentage on the year to 33-percent.

Can this continue?

Unfortunately, Pascal probably isn’t going to continue to score almost 20 points per game this season. He’s not ready for that at this point in his career. His offensive game is explosive but lacks diversity.

Luckily, he doesn’t have too. Toronto would be more than happy if Pascal was able to project his season averages over the entire season. 14 points, 6.5 rebounds, and two assists per game, to go along with his defense, is plenty. If he can continue to shoot close to what he has over the past six games, even better.

Long-term Siakam has every chance to be the player he has shown as of late. He’s young, explosive, and still learning the game. The Pascal Siakam bandwagon is full. Hopefully, you bought your ticket ear.y