Toronto Raptors: Is Pascal Siakam deserving of a spot on the All-Star team?

Pascal Siakam has been a revelation for the Toronto Raptors this year. Now in his third season, Siakam has taken a leap forward and looks like a potential All-Star.

As we enter 2019, the Toronto Raptors are in first place in the Eastern Conference with a 28-11 record. The Raptors as a team have struggled early with injuries. Kyle Lowry has missed nine games. Kawhi Leonard is working his way back and still sitting out back-to-back games. The one constant early in the season has been Pascal Siakam.

Siakam has only missed one game. He has been the team’s starting power forward in all but two games. Siakam is among the front-runner for Most Improved Player. He is averaging career highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals and minutes. Could this early success translate to an All-Star appearance?

Currently, seven players appear to be a lock to represent the Eastern Conference in the All-Star Game: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Kyle Lowry, and Victor Oladipo. Three other players are likely to be in Charlotte on February 17th: Kemba Walker, Jimmy Butler, and Blake Griffin. That leaves two spots remaining.

The Boston Celtics entered the season with high expectations. It probably seemed unfathomable that the Celtics would only have one representative at the mid-season event. Al Horford is a five-time All-Star and has been selected in three of the last four years. However, his numbers are down across the board, and a sixth appearance seems unlikely.

Gordon Hayward was named an All-Star in 2017. He missed most of last season, following a devastating leg injury. Hayward is currently coming off the bench and has struggled to regain his form.

Jayson Tatum is second on the team in scoring and looks like a future All-Star. But given the Celtics’ underwhelming start to the season, Tatum may have to wait one more year before he is selected.

The back-court for the Washington Wizards is always in consideration for the All-Star Game. John Wall has been named to five consecutive All-Star teams. However, ESPN recently reported that Wall will undergo season-ending left heel surgery.

Bradley Beal was named an All-Star for the first time last year. He is having a career year, averaging 23.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. Beal has played in every game for the Wizards this season. But the team is currently 14-23 and three and a half games out of a playoff spot.

A major debate every year when it comes to potential All-Stars is what is more important: individual stats or team success? Beal’s numbers suggest he is an All-Star, but does he deserve a spot given how poorly his team has played?

Another candidate who falls into that category is Nikola Vucevic of the Orlando Magic. Vucevic has been a monster so far this season. He is averaging 20.3 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. He leads the Magic in scoring and rebounding. He is also second on the team in assists and blocks. However, the Magic have also struggled. They are currently 10th in the East with a 16-20 record.

One more player that deserves serious consideration is Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks have been one of the best teams in basketball through the first half of the season. Middleton is their second best player and should make his first All-Star appearance this year.

Assuming Middleton is selected, that leaves one wild card spot left available. The starters are selected by a combination of the fans, players, and media. The reserves are chosen by the coaches. The coaches may be more inclined to reward winning over hollow stats on a bad team. That is what makes Siakam a legitimate candidate for the All-Star Game.

Siakam’s raw stats are very similar to those of Tatum. Siakam is averaging 14.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. Tatum’s line so far this season is 16.2, 6.6, 1.8, 1.1 and 0.7.

However, Siakam’s advanced stats are all better than Tatum’s. Siakam has a PER of 18.5 versus 16.0 for Tatum. His VORP (Value Over Replacement Player) is 1.7 versus 0.6. Siakam’s Win Share, an estimate of the number of wins contributed by a player, is 4.2 versus 2.8 for Tatum.

The Raptors have also been better than the Celtics so far this season. It is not unprecedented for one of the best teams in the conference to have three or four players at the All-Star Game. The Golden State Warriors routinely have multiple players at the event.

In 2015, the Atlanta Hawks had four players selected: Al Horford, Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague, and Kyle Korver.  For Teague and Korver, it was their only All-Star selection. Korver was named an All-Star despite averaging 12.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.

A lot has been written already about Siakam’s breakout season (here and here). Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster were right to refuse to include Siakam in the Kawhi Leonard trade.

Siakam is 24 years old and has only been playing organized basketball for a short period of time. At 6-foot-9 with 7-foot-3.25 wingspan, Siakam is a Swiss Army knife on the floor. He is capable of guarding multiple positions and playing in any number of lineup combinations.

Throughout his career, Siakam has played 95 percent of his total minutes at power forward. Siakam has only played 10 percent of his minutes at center so far this season. Despite that, the most intriguing lineup remains Siakam at center with Leonard and OG Anunoby at either forward position. This is the type of defensive monster that should be able to shut teams down in the playoffs.

Siakam is also working to expand his offensive game. One of the most significant areas of improvement has been Siakam’s ball handling. There are not that many players his size capable of grabbing a defensive rebound and taking the ball coast-to-coast. Siakam is one of the fastest players in the league, who is incapable of standing still. His energy and hustle are contagious, Siakam forces those around him to play harder.

Siakam is working to become a more consistent outside shooter. He is currently shooting 35.4 percent from three-point range, on 2.1 attempts per game. As a rookie, Siakam shot 14.3 percent, which he increased to 22 percent last year. Siakam can take his game to another level if he can become just an average three-point shooter.

The part of Siakam’s game that is receiving the most attention is his patented spin move. Siakam drives to the basket, seemingly out of control, spins and softly lays the ball off the glass. Even though opponents know this move is coming, few have figured out how to defend against it.

All of the progress Siakam has made was on full display on New Year’s Day. The Raptors beat the Utah Jazz 122-116. Siakam scored a career-high 28 points. He added 10 rebounds and managed to connect on three of his four attempts from long distance. With every passing game, Siakam is showing that he can handle more and more responsibility.

Ultimately, it will be an uphill battle for Siakam to earn a spot in this year’s All-Star Game. He will be competing against more established players who have the name recognition and fan appeal. But Siakam is putting the coaches and the rest of the league on notice. He is here to stay. Siakam might not be named an All-Star this season, but future selections appear more likely than not.

Stats were provided by NBA.com, ESPN.com, and Basketball-Reference.com