3 changes Raptors must make after uneven start to 2023-24 season
By Mike Luciano
1. Get Pascal Siakam more involved
The Raptors are clearly trying to move on to the Scottie Barnes era, but they haven’t surrounded him with talent by trading Siakam away. Pascal is shooting just 37.5% from the field and has just 14.7 points per game, all while seeing his attempts per game take a major step back from last season.
A player with as long of an NBA resume as Siakam’s struggling in his adapting to a new role is not uncommon. However, Toronto can’t claim to be a serious offensive team if they have a player like Siakam taking six shots midway through the fourth quarter of a rivalry game.
The Toronto Raptors must get Pascal Siakam involved.
As bad as the half-court offense has looked this season, it goes without saying that Siakam playing better and the unit performing more cohesively go hand in hand. Staying aggressive will be key, even though Barnes needs to get fed as well. It’s difficult, but not impossible.
Siakam knows what a pivotal campaign this is, as he could lose millions of dollars when it comes time to earn a new contract if he underperforms this season. With Toronto showing no signs of moving toward blowing it up, it’s on Rajakovic and Siakam to figure it out.