Toronto Raptors: Pascal Siakam’s All-Star chances compared to competition
Current place in voting: Not in the top 10 (N/A)
Khris Middleton, in the shadow of Giannis Antetokounmpo, is perpetually underrated in the NBA landscape.
From the wing, Middleton has consistently produced as a scorer, further elevating his play for much of the year in new coach Mike Budenholzer’ system.
In the small market of Milwaukee, Middleton will fall peril to a lack of voting, instead relying on the coaches to insert him into the conversation. In terms of his case against Siakam, here’s how they stack up.
The case for Middleton over Siakam:
As a perimeter scorer that plays adequate defense, Middleton is widely unknown by the average fan.
This year, Middleton has been a consistent scoring force, averaging over 15 points a game – Siakam’s average on the year – in each month of the season thus far. If the rosters were chosen in the season’s first month, Middleton would’ve had a more than worthy resume.
In October, Middleton averaged 20.7 points and was part of a Bucks’ lineup that posted a top-five defensive rating, posting a 99 of his own.
Alongside Middleton’s scoring numbers is his efficiency, residing in his effective field goal percentage of 52. As a player that attempts over four more shots a game, with 6.3 coming from outside, the efficiency is a key factor in his induction over Siakam.
As the top seed in the East currently, the Bucks have a case for multiple All-Stars, with Antetokounmpo being as close to a lock as possible given his Most Valuable Player candidacy.
The case against Middleton over Siakam:
As far as voting, Siakam is slated to handily beat Middleton. The problem is that fans only vote in starters as previously mentioned, hindering his fan vote importance.
As far as stats go, Siakam’s case is made in his efficiency and impact with the ball seldom in his hands. On the year, Siakam has scored the aforementioned 15 points per game, a middle-of-the-road figure.
Where Siakam makes a difference is the fact he scores double-digits per game, with a usage rate of only 18.8 percent.
Despite having the ball the same amount of time as teammate C.J. Miles on average, Siakam has accrued 1.8 more win shares than Middleton.
With an eFG percentage of 60.3, on fewer shots, Siakam is making each of his touches count, including an increased output on the boards per game as well (7) over Middleton (5.7).
The main reason for Middleton’s inclusion is his standing on the top team in the conference by record. Outside of his impact on a vastly improved team, Siakam has a decided advantage.