Toronto Raptors: Three ways Pascal Siakam has improved this season

Passing

Before we get to drooling over Siakam’s ever-expanding arsenal of shots, I want to shed light on an area of his game that has seen a noticeable uptick this season: his passing. The easiest way to see that improving skillset? A huge increase in assists percentage.

For his career, Siakam has assisted on 12.5-percent of the shots taken by teammates. However, that number through six games in 2019-20 sits close to 20 percent (19.5).

Operating at a usage rate exceeding 30 (30.6), Siakam has the ball in his hands a lot when Toronto is on offence, and he’s been effective at creating not only for himself but also for his teammates. He’s also seen an increase in turnovers, coughing it up 3.1 times per game compared to 1.9 in 2018-19. However, Siakam’s turnover percentage this season remains virtually the same as it was a year ago, indicating that is a result of having the ball more, rather than sloppiness.

After a recent game, Siakam spoke about the challenges of being “the man” for the defending champs:

Part of being a great leader involves elevating those around you — up to this point in his career, Siakam hasn’t really been asked to create for his teammates. He dabbled as an initiator of the offense last season and certainly found teammates when they were open. But it wasn’t a top priority for Siakam.

This year, however, opposing defences are paying far more attention to him than they did a year ago. With Leonard gone, he’s the unquestioned number one guy, and not having Leonard around has forced No. 43 to not only have to evolve as a scorer in clutch situations but also involving his teammates throughout the game.

Seven games in, Siakam has not only done an admirable job of creating his own offence but has also ensured his teammates are able to benefit from the collective gaze of opposing defenders he receives on a nightly basis.