Raptors: Ranking Draymond Green over Pascal Siakam is indefensible

The Toronto Raptors didn’t have the most robust 2020-21 season, and Pascal Siakam can certainly hold up his hand and serve as an example of someone negatively impacted by playing in Tampa. His shooting averages took a slight downward turn, and he struggled to stay healthy.

Even with that, Siakam managed to average 21.2 points per game while coming just short of setting a new personal record in rebounds per game. Siakam’s 4.5 assists per game ended up as the best mark he’s reached in his career, so last year wasn’t a totally lost season.

If the Raptors are going to succeed in 2021 and beyond, Siakam will have to assume a great deal of responsibility on both ends. While he should be able to do so given his talent and pedigree, his stock around the league has eroded a bit, leading to some comical rankings on those juicy Top 100 rankings.

Of the many egregious rankings on ESPN’s annual Top 100 list, both Raptors and non-Raptors related, one of the more puzzling decisions was to put Siakam down at No. 38, 14 spots lower than he was in 2021. Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green actually went up seven spots and overtook Siakam at No. 37.

Sure, Draymond’s a great defender, but putting him beneath Siakam in 2021 is…bold.

Why is Toronto Raptors star Pascal Siakam behind Draymond Green?

In the last two seasons, Green has averaged 7.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game on two Kevin Durant-less Warriors teams that have missed the playoffs. His passing and defensive skills are still great, and leaving him outside the Top 50 might be going too far, but how can you rank an offensive liability above Siakam?

If we are to believe that Siakam’s shooting struggles last year are the reason he fell, why is a 42% shooter that makes just 27% of his 3-point shots ranking ahead of Pascal? We’ve seen the videos of Green holding the ball at the top of the key and the defense backing away from him. That’s better than Siakam right now?

Assuming that Siakam is back to full strength when he returns from his shoulder injury, playing in Toronto as the main offensive option should help the 2019-20 Siakam start to show up once again. If he plays anything close to what he managed to pull off that year, there will be no justification for putting Green above them.

The Siakam disrespect is getting out of hand. Green has been a complete offensive liability in the last two years, while Siakam is still one of the best scorers in the league at his position, all while providing solid defense. Green is clearly living off his reputation if he is apparently one of the 37 best players in the game.