Very little went right for Pascal Siakam and the Toronto Raptors this season, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced them out of their country and took a huge chunk out of their squad depth, Much like the team as a whole, Siakam’s performance this season was all over the place, especially early in the year.
Siakam failed to make the All-Star game this year, as his scoring dropped off just a bit following a slow start. Despite that, he recovered to post the second-best scoring average of his career, all while showing that he can make strides as a playmaker due to his solid passing stats.
Siakam was one of several Raptors who missed time due to the COVID-19 virus, and he clearly didn’t look like himself when he returned to action. That dragged his numbers down, and it made a media that doesn’t watch the Raptors as closely as some other teams start to wonder if he’s lost a step.
Siakam might not have been the most clutch player in the league, but he was one of the best players on this squad, managing to maintain his status as one of the best power forwards in the game.
Pascal Siakam was *THIS* close to hitting the game-winner against the Warriors. pic.twitter.com/X5oaQgusTV
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 11, 2021
How did Toronto Raptors star Pascal Siakam perform in 2021?
Siakam’s scoring dropped from 22.9 points to 21.4 this season, but that belies the fact that his field goal percentage was almost identical to last year. He shot slightly less, perhaps to allow players like Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby more chances to shoot on offense.
Siakam’s rebounding per game is almost the same as it was last year, and he set a new career-high for assists per game, proving his improved playmaking is here to stay. Siakam accomplished all of this while playing out of position as a center, which likely helped ruin his numbers on both ends of the floor.
Siakam ended up as the butt of quite a few jokes over the year, especially when he needed to step up. Players like Julius Randle dominated Siakam in individual matchups, and despite being trusted with making the big shot at the end of games, he found himself rimming out in several clutch situations.
The Raptors need to lean on Siakam if they are going to return to the postseason. While the national media’s opinion of Siakam makes it seem like his contract is a waste, he has actually moved into the underrated tier. If he improves his play in the clutch, Siakam should be able to return to the All-Star ranks.