Raptors: What will Pascal Siakam’s return mean for the rotation?

With an All-NBA talent in Toronto Raptors star Pascal Siakam being cleared for extra contact, fans should expect to see the team’s most decorated player balling in Scotiabank Arena sooner rather than later.

Given how the season has started for Nick Nurse and Toronto, everyone is dying to quit scrolling Twitter looking for a Siakam injury update.

Not that the Raptors haven’t been entertaining, but it’s tough to know who and what you are as a team without your top guy playing a minute. We have to both remind ourselves how Siakam impacts the game, but also how he’s going to fit into this new identity the Raptors have adopted.

How will he change the dynamics of the scheme? How will the game plan change him? These questions could be the difference between an All-Star selection for Siakam or a return to the semi-star level he was playing at last year, to say nothing of the effect it’ll have on the success of the team at large.

How does Pascal Siakam change the Toronto Raptors?

The Raptors’ buy-in to their team identity is apparent. Everyone is huge and can run, and Siakam fits that mold perfectly. Better yet, he adds a level of offensive versatility to go along with his defensive prowess.

Think about a jumbo lineup of Dalano Banton, OG Anunoby, rookie sensation Scottie Barnes, Siakam, and Chris Boucher. It’d be like trying to score against a five-headed hydra given their height and speed.

Ultimately, the factor that will determine how well Pascal plays is his shooting.

The Raptors’ biggest weakness right now is offensive execution, but with Siakam out there we get another guy who can generate shots for himself and his teammates. If Siakam can return to the way he was in 2019-20, not only will he be an effective scorer with the ball in his hands, but he’ll be able to make his teammates better as well.

Siakam without a jump shot becomes redundant next to Barnes, Banton, and Precious Achiuwa, but Siakam with a long-range game allows Nick Nurse and Masai Ujiri to fully realize their vision for a 5-man, 5-tool lineup for the future.

What does this mean for the starting lineup?

Siakam was likely expected to take back the power forward spot from Barnes, but with Barnes’ emergence right out of the gate as a potential star for Toronto, gutting his minutes would be to handicap your present and your future.

Three of the Raptors’ four best players are forwards. How to implement them all? Well, the answer is not to sub out Barnes for Siakam at power forward, but to sub out Achiuwa and play Siakam at the five.

Let’s remember that this isn’t new ground for Siakam. He’s played center before to close games last year as part of the closing five last year

At the same time, the team isn’t losing a lot physically by playing Siakam in the middle. Achiuwa was a small center, to begin with, standing 6-8 to Siakam’s 6-9.  By having Pascal there, Nick Nurse unlocks the team offensively while maintaining 90% of his squad’s defensive intensity.

Will Siakam get mashed in certain matchups? Potentially, but Achiuwa hasn’t exactly been prime Hakeem. Both are too small to guard the likes of Joel Embiid or Nikola Jokic all game long, but Nurse knows this. Fans should be confident that the Raptors will make the necessary adjustments when the need arises.

Besides, the Raptors’ defensive identity is all about swarming, switching everything, and being aggressive, and that describes Siakam’s defense.

How will the new-look Toronto Raptors change Pascal Siakam?

Siakam used to share ball-handling responsibilities, mainly, with Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet. Both players are small, spacing, guards who occupy areas out on the perimeter. Now, Siakam will have to share the ball with the scoring of Anunoby and the revelation this is rookie Barnes.

Again, a lot of Siakam’s role here will depend on if he can get back to elite form as a spot-up shooter. If he can, then he’ll be able to play off of Anunoby and Barnes, providing a kick-out option in the corner while also allowing for pick-n-pops.

Siakam will have to learn how to do more with less again. At the end of last year, Nurse started to return Siakam to the same place offensively he occupied during the 2019 title run. Not as a point-forward and primary creator, but more as a cutter, screener, and low-post scorer. That should be how he’s used on his return.

Siakam doesn’t need the ball in his hands all the time. I’d rather him score 20 efficient points than 25 inefficient ones, and having him create space for the rest of the team will make the Raptors a much more team to defend in the half-court.

The injection of more talent is always a good thing. The key is finding the best way to use Pascal now that the Raptors have once again shed their skin. The most important wrinkle will be how he gels with Barnes. Hopefully, they’ll become a two-pronged spear that keeps this team on the right track.