The Toronto Raptors must stay the course with Pascal Siakam

Raptors’ frontcourt help arrived too late

For significant chunks of this season, Siakam has been asked to play center in a small-ball lineup not because of choice, but by necessity. Management chose not to bring back either Marc Gasol or Serge Ibaka, replacing them with projects like Alex Len a failed lottery pick earlier this decade, and Aron Baynes, who has rarely been an NBA starter.

Both players failed miserably, with Len cut loose in January. That left Toronto with one center on the roster in Baynes, and he showed he’s an aging talent that was limited to begin with. Chris Boucher, who while improving is thin and wiry, had to play center without the girth to handle bigger players.

Failing to use Boucher has meant employing Siakam at the center spot. It hasn’t worked as well as hoped and leaves the Raptors susceptible to giving up rebounds all over the court. The Raptors average just 41.6 per game as a team for 28th overall in the NBA.

Pascal Siakam might be better at power forward next year.

The majority of those meager rebounding numbers were amassed before the Raptors waited until the buyout period to add Freddie Gillespie and Khem Birch to beef up their frontcourt holes.

It’s no wonder that with the added help and without having to do all the heavy lifting in the frontcourt, Siakam has produced eight games in which he has scored over 20 points in his last 13.

Whether Toronto simply brings back Birch and Gillespie, or finds credible upgrades in the off-season for next year, it has been a stressful season for Siakam, and the team did not provide him with the support he needed. 2021-22 should be better.