3 players less deserving of All-NBA than Raptors’ Pascal Siakam
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors have embarked upon a remarkable resurgence that has them on the precipice of making the postseason without appearing in the play-in tournament. The guiding light that has helped this team consistently take down some of the best squads in the league is Pascal Siakam.
Siakam is averaging 27 points and eight rebounds per game in March, as he has stepped up with Fred VanVleet hobbled by an injury and Gary Trent Jr. not at his best. The Raptors can put some distance between themselves and the No. 7 seed in the East.
Even though Siakam was snubbed from the All-Star festivities, the odds of him making All-NBA have increased significantly over the last few weeks. Now that Toronto appears to be positioning themselves for a postseason run, Siakam’s numbers can no longer be viewed as stat-padding on a bad team.
Considering what he has meant to a Raptors team lacking depth as a scorer, defender, and leader, Siakam’s All-NBA case has never been stronger. These 3 players have put up fantastic seasons, but they don’t have the numbers and impact that Siakam has on his name.
3 players Toronto Raptors star Pascal Siakam deserves All-NBA over
3. Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
Middleton was named an All-Star once again while Siakam was barred from entry. While the first-half numbers between the two might have been somewhat similar, Siakam has leaped past Middleton by taking games over by himself over the last few weeks.
Middleton is averaging more than 20 points and fewer than 21 points for the fourth time in five seasons. With Siakam’s scoring, efficiency, and defense blowing Middleton’s out of the water, the fact that Middleton is on the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference won’t be enough to get him on the third team.
Toronto Raptors: Pascal Siakam is playing better than Khris Middleton.
Middleton is a perfect secondary scoring option on a team that revolves around Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, if Middleton were asked to perform the duties that Siakam has to shoulder in Toronto, he wouldn’t be nearly the same type of player.
Siakam is doing all of this while drawing the best opposing defender on a nightly basis and being unable to lean on a consistent bench that can help ease his workload. The voters seem to have a thing for Middleton, so him making All-NBA over Siakam can’t be ruled out as a possibility.