Toronto Raptors: End Of Year Report Cards

Pascal Siakam 

One year ago Pascal Siakam was just another player in the rotation. He had all the tools to be successful but nobody knew if/when he would be able to put them to use. This year Pascal Siakam became a young talent on the cusp of superstardom.

Pascal Siakam is best described as a “Swiss Army Knife.” He has a tool for everything. Siakam can shoot, pass, handle the ball, and much more.

To the outside world, the 27-year old’s meteoric rise came out of nowhere. However, those who have followed the Toronto Raptors over the past number of years had been waiting for this breakout. Raptors fans have been waiting for this since Siakam dominated the, then, NBA D-League Finals in 2017.

Just one season ago Siakam received his first taste of being an NBA regular. At times he looked uncomfortable with the ball in his hands. He made quick decisions, rushed passes, and his offensive game was streaky.

Over the course of 81 games, he became an integral part of the bench mob. Siakam averaged seven points, 4.5 rebounds, and two assists per game. Respectable numbers for an NBA rotation player.

Flash forward one year later and Pascal Siakam is a shell of the player he used to be. His roots are still there but his game has evolved.

There are many reasons for Siakam’s breakout campaign. To begin with, he spent the summer honing in on his shooting and playing pickup games with some of the NBA’s best. Another major factor is that Nick Nurse made Siakam a focal point of Toronto’s offensive system.

Coach Nurse deserves a lot of credit for furthering Siakam’s development. He saw the skillset that “Spicy P” had and took advantage of it. Something to remember is that Siakam was never guaranteed the starting spot, he earned it in training camp.

This year the 27-year old averaged 16.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. In the postseason he averaged 19 points,  7.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game.

One of the more notable areas of his improvement is his three-point shooting. Last season he shot at a 22 percent clip from deep. This year he was up nearly 15 percent to 36.9 percent from beyond-the-arc.

If Siakam can keep up this level of play he could earn a max-contact next summer. He will earn $2.3 million next season. Should Siakam decline a qualifying offer this time next year it is going to be interesting to see his market develop.

The future is bright for one of the NBA’s newest stars. Siakam could take home the Most Improved Player award on June 24th. Expect him to average 20 or more points per game next season.

Satisfying expectations: 10/10 

Production relative to contract: 10/10 

Overall output: 10/10 

Total score: 30/30 

Letter Grade: A+