Pascal Siakam at point guard should be here to stay for the Raptors

Necessity is the mother of invention, and the Toronto Raptors proved that old axiom to be true when they started Pascal Siakam at point guard in a win against the Charlotte Hornets. With Fred VanVleet and Scottie Barnes both sitting out, Nick Nurse needed to get creative.

While Siakam might not fit the physical mold of a traditional point guard, there are few forwards in the league that are not 6-9 and in possession of his expert passing ability. Against a 6-6 guard in Charlotte sensation LaMelo Ball, Siakam neutralized the size advantage and had one of his best games of the season.

Pascal was once again a single rebound shy of a triple-double, recording 24 points, nine rebounds, and 12 assists, which tied his career-best mark. Though Dalano Banton and Malachi Flynn played well last night, they have largely been out of the rotation, meaning that Barnes and Siakam have picked up the slack behind him.

While Toronto should try to find a more sustainable option behind them at the trade deadline, the fact that Siakam was so lethal against the Hornets (as well as some of Toronto’s opponents prior to this contest) should be taken as a sign that putting him at the top of the key and letting him initiate the offense makes a ton of sense.

The Toronto Raptors must keep playing Pascal Siakam at point guard.

Siakam is in the middle of one of the best stretches of basketball he’s ever played. Even his shooting woes have dissipated, as he is making 42% of his 3-point attempts in nearly three shots per game. More time with the ball in his hands and less time leaning on rookies like Banton and Flynn is a sensible short-term fix.

Siakam handing the ball allows Toronto to use more of those supersized lineups Nurse and Masai Ujiri dream about. Imagine Siakam at point when Barnes comes back. Those two alongside OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Chris Boucher would make for a hellacious defensive attack.

The Raptors plan to be active at the deadline, and that could mean adding a more traditional point guard to ease the pressure on VanVleet and Siakam. Even if they beef up the bench, they shouldn’t just throw this little wrinkle out.

Siakam at point guard is such an interesting lineup combination that teams might not know how to defend it until they get more film. The element of surprise could help the Raptors lean on their Cameroonian star as they glide to a few extra wins.