The Toronto Raptors have had some bad fortune in the last few years with their injury luck, and Pascal Siakam suffering a groin injury against the Dallas Mavericks three weeks ago only added to that frustrating trend. With the Cameroonian star in the middle of an All-NBA season, that injury could have been crushing.
Siakam, who has averaged 24.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game before getting hurt, has been named questionable for Monday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Even if he doesn’t play in this game, he could be back to his old self on Wednesday against the Pelicans.
While this roster is still missing key names, the return of Siakam will have an immeasurable impact on how this team operates and how efficient they can be on both ends of the floor. Treading water at 5-5 with all of these injuries shows that many of the Raptors’ top reserves are capable of answering the call when asked.
These three Raptors should get boatloads of praise for being able to keep Toronto humming without Siakam in the lineup. When Siakam is restored to full health, Nick Nurse must make sure that this trio still has a solid role in the rotation carved out for them.
3 Toronto Raptors who stood out with Pascal Siakam hurt.
3. Thad Young
After it became clear that Christian Koloko was hitting the rookie wall, the Raptors were forced to put Young, a 6-8 veteran, at their center spot with Siakam on the mend. In that span, Young has shown that his combination of veteran moxie and intelligent play make him the perfect firestarter for this team.
Young averaged 11.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.2 steals per game over the past six games, helping Toronto win three of them. Toronto’s philosophy of getting more shot attempts by relentlessly crashing the offensive glass helped Thad corral 21 offensive boards in the last six games.
Thad Young has given the Toronto Raptors a lift.
Siakam is one of the game’s best scorers inside the arc, but Young was able to show off a very convincing facsimile of his ability to own the boards, find open teammates, and generate turnovers. This play makes Nurse’s initial hesitance to put him in the rotation look even more puzzling.
While Young was given his multi-year contract because of his ability to have a positive impact on any given game without scoring, he’s rediscovered his Philadelphia and Indiana scoring touch in the last few games. Even with a reduced role, good things seem to happen when Thad is on the floor.
2. Chris Boucher
Boucher has been kept out of the starting lineup in the Siakam-less games, as Nurse valued the instant impact that the native Canadian brings off the bench. On a Raptors team that remains one of the least efficient offenses in the league, Boucher piling up the double-doubles has been a godsend.
Boucher has averaged 17.6 points and 10.0 rebounds per game in 29.9 minutes per game during the last five contests, piling up his third straight double-double in the win over Dallas. No player in the league over the last three years has more double-doubles off the bench than Boucher, who has achieved this feat 26 times.
Chris Boucher has saved the Toronto Raptors bench.
Boucher is making his three-year contract in free agency look like a bargain, as he has become someone that should get some legitimate Sixth Man of the Year hype if he continues performing like this. The fact that he’s been this imposing of a post presence at his size is genuinely impressive.
Boucher is back to the form he showcased in his Tampa sabbatical, which gives the Raptors the legitimate scorer off the bench that they lacked last year. The Boucher-Siakam tag team should give the Raptors some supercharged offensive lineups that could blitz through unsuspecting teams.
1. O.G. Anunoby
After an offseason of being included in every mock trade proposal, Anunoby started the season off tentatively on offense. Now that he’s gotten out of that funk and put up offensive numbers that he’s never hit before, O.G. has emerged as one of the Eastern Conference’s best players in Siakam’s absence.
Anunoby has averaged 22 points per game without Siakam in the lineup, showing that he can be an above-average scorer and creator for himself despite some substandard 3-point shooting numbers. In the win against Dallas, Anunoby scored 26 points while playing 43 minutes and defending Luka Doncic for most of the night.
Anunoby had Doncic and Jason Kidd in awe of him after the game.
O.G. Anunoby is dominating for the Toronto Raptors.
If Anunoby maintains his current averages for the remainder of the season, he will set new career-best marks in points per game, rebounds per game, and steals per game. With Gary Trent Jr. mired in a deep funk offensively, Anunoby’s production is even more valuable.
Anunoby’s numbers without Siakam are All-Star worthy if the Raptors continue winning games, and they’ve shown that he needs to be the No. 3 offensive option when everyone gets back. Having that arrow in your quiver, in addition to what he brings as a defensive player, has to feel good for Nick Nurse.