3 Toronto Raptors players who must step up without Pascal Siakam
By Mike Luciano
2. Yuta Watanabe
No matter who ends up starting, the Raptors will take a huge hit on the offensive side of the court without Siakam’s blend of size, speed, and feathery touch. Watanabe took advantage of whatever openings he was afforded last season, and he could help the Raptors absorb this blow in 2021.
From April 2 to May 11, a time in which Watanabe saw his two-way deal in the NBA converted to a standard contract, Watanabe averaged 7.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while making 52% of his shots and 43% of his 3-point attempts. Considering how poor his shooting was early in the season, this is a massive success.
Yuta Watanabe must boost the Raptors’ bench.
Watanabe did improve his scoring last year, but are these numbers indicative of a player that has fixed his major flaws and become a quality NBA role player? Or are they outliers from a very small sample size?
Ultimately, while Watanabe will have a role in the rotation next year due to his defensive skills and effort on that end of the floor, his offensive improvement will not only impact how he is perceived on this team. If he struggles on offense, the whole bench could really start to struggle without adequate scoring.