Toronto Raptors: Why Pascal Siakam struggling against Julius Randle and the Knicks is concerning

The Toronto Raptors fell to Julius Randle and the New York Knicks in agonizing fashion, and the subpar play of power forward Pascal Siakam was singled out as the main reason that Nick Nurse’s squad lost.

Siakam, who took a night off when Toronto stomped the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, totaled 16 points and seven assists, but the box score shows just how thoroughly Randle and a tough Knicks interior defense handled the Cameroonian All-NBA performer.

Siakam made just one of his first 11 shots and finished the day a paltry 5-18 from the field. Throw in his ghastly turnover near the end, and it was a complete disaster. On the other side of the court, Randle prevented Siakam from recording a single rebound, grabbing eight for himself while scoring 26 points and totaling five assists.

If the Knicks were able to pummel him to such an insane degree, that doesn’t bode well for the Raptors considering the number of quality opponents Siakam will have to face in 2021 and beyond.

Toronto Raptors: Pascal Siakam has struggled in the clutch

Siakam might be averaging career-highs in rebounds and assists per game this season, but this season has been taxing for him on and off the floor. In addition to about with COVID-19 and issues with Nurse that saw him suspended at one point, Siakam’s scoring and shooting have declined.

It’s possible to admit Siakam is going through a very rough stretch off the court while failing to live up to his max contract that makes him one of the highest-paid power forwards in the league. If Randle was able to take his lunch money in what was supposed to be the year Siakam proved he was a star, that’s bad news for Toronto.

In addition to Randle in that division, he’ll have to go against a Boston Celtics team that has turned Jayson Tatum into one of the best small-ball 4s in the game, a Philadelphia 76ers team that can lean on Joel Embiid in the post, and a Brooklyn Nets squad with Hall of Fame talent coming out of every orifice.

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Siakam might be able to calm the haters down by playing well on the offensive end and sinking clutch shots, but he has failed to do so.

In terms of “clutch shots”, or shots that have a high impact on win probability, Siakam’s effective field goal percentage of just 46%. In terms of buzzer-beaters or shots crucial to the outcome of the game, that dips to a pathetic 22%. Siakam is terrific at times, but that is not $30 million per season production.

Randle, widely expected to remain in New York after his fantastic season, is going to be a constant pain in Siakam’s side, especially considering how close New York and Toronto will be in the standings for the next few years. If he can’t shake the mental demons that seem to flutter into his head whenever the chips are down, nights like Sunday could become common.