Horrid Pascal Siakam night vs. 76ers should reignite offseason trade rumors

While it’s been extremely entertaining to watch Scottie Barnes blossom into a star with the Toronto Raptors, it’s been equally concerning for fans and those in the organization alike to see Pascal Siakam’s relative inability to settle into a co-star role in the first six games of the season.

Siakam and the Raptors were on the second night of a back-to-back following a jaw-dropping victory against the Milwaukee Bucks. Even with that qualification, Pascal looked lethargic in the first half. With just two points to his name, he didn’t do an excellent job of supporting Barnes in what was a tremendous start.

The Raptors managed to make it a two-point game halfway through the third quarter, but the continued ineptitude of everyone not named Barnes, Dennis Schroder, and OG Anunoby on the offense end helped Nurse win his second game against his old squad in a 114-99 defeat for Darko Rajakovic.

Siakam managed just 10 points on 5-11 shooting, which is a sharp decline in quality from the 26-point outing in the Milwaukee wing. It may be just six games into the season, but Siakam going from an All-Star player to this in his new system has to be very alarming for the coaching staff.

Pascal Siakam struggling in Toronto Raptors’ loss to 76ers is concerning.

Siakam has not only been much less aggressive than he was last season, as his shot attempts have decreased from 18.5 last season to just under 14 this year, but he is shooting just a smidge over 40% from the field. The combination of inefficiency and an inability to get in a flow is killing Toronto.

Not trading Siakam to a contender looks less wise by the day. Not only is his value starting to decline daily with each poor performance, but the Raptors missed a golden opportunity to revamp another lackluster bench with the equity they would get in any hypothetical Siakam saw. Once again, the second unit failed.

The lower points of Rajakovic’s tenure look eerily similar to what fans saw last year from Nurse. Stars like Barnes and the unexpectedly terrific Schroder carry the load before a bench that features either declining veterans or young players developing on the fly coughs up a lead. The half-court offense is still a work in progress.

While struggling against a coach in Nick Nurse who knows all of your dirty secrets and a very tough defensive team on the road isn’t cause for alarm, the sudden drop-off in both his percentages and his clutch playmaking in a contract year has been shocking. Siakam will likely turn things around, but some fans are growing impatient.

• 12 Players the Raptors never should have gambled on
• 5 Players the Raptors held onto for too long
• 4 Best undrafted talents to play for the Raptors
• The Best Toronto Raptors from every country