How often has Toronto Raptors star big man Pascal Siakam been injured in his career?
The Raptors needed Siakam to emerge as the star that they know he can be when he’s fully healthy if they are to make it back to the postseason, but they were instead greeted with a bit of horrific injury news that could end up derailing their chances at being respectable next season.
Siakam underwent surgery to clean up a torn labrum in his left shoulder, and the expected rehabilitation time that it will take to get him back is around five months.
Considering that the Raptors are already searching for depth options in order to supplement Siakam in the lineup and on the bench, this Siakam injury is nothing short of a backbreaking development for Nick Nurse.
Pascal Siakam injury update
Raptors star Pascal Siakam underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder and expected recovery and rehabilitation time for this procedure is five months.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 11, 2021
Siakam’s surgery and expected recovery time likely mean that he will be out until some time in November. The Raptors will need to prepare to start the regular season without their man in the middle.
This is a gut punch for the Raptors considering how they can normally rely on Siakam being out on the floor and ready to prove why he is one of the best offensive power forwards the game has to offer. Instead, it looks like he’ll spend most of the start of the 2021-22 season in street clothes on the bench.
Is this a sign that Siakam is starting to break down? Or one outlier that shouldn’t change Toronto’s outlook on him?
Pascal Siakam shoulder injury, 2021
Siakam sustained the injury that required surgery during a May 8 loss against the Memphis Grizzlies. He was forced to sit out the remaining four games of the season, but his recent procedure confirms that his injury was a sign of something that was much more serious from a medical perspective.
Siakam needs to take his rehab from this injury very carefully, as a player who is such a focal point of this offense needs to make sure that he gets fully healed up, lest the Raptors’ effectiveness end up blunted.
Pascal Siakam COVID-19 issues, 2021
Siakam was one of several Raptors players that ended up handicapped by the COVID-19 pandemic, as the league’s protocols forced Siakam to sit out eight games in the middle of the season.
When he returned, it took a while for him to get back in the swing of things. 2020-21 was an extremely challenging season for the relocated Raptors and Siakam, as neither seemed to stay in a groove for an extended period of time.
Pascal Siakam groin and knee injuries, 2021
Siakam started the season on the wrong foot. Not only did he pick up a groin injury in a game against Miami, but that was suffered at the same time he was dealing with knee swelling. Luckily, Siakam chose to tough it out and soldier on after two missed games.
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Pascal Siakam groin injury, 2019
The first big injury of Siakam’s career, the Cameroonian missed nearly a month of action early last year when he suffered a groin injury in a match against the Pistons. Spicy P ended up missing 11 games as a result of this injury.
Siakam’s injuries might not be the most concerning thing in the world given the fact that he has been pretty durable in his career and once missed just three games in a two-season span. However, the shoulder should be monitored with extreme caution.