Has Pascal Siakam become underappreciated?
The 6-8 star forward who was pivotal for the Raptors in their 2019 title run is having one of his best seasons yet, but no one is talking about it
Advanced statistics used in this article are from StatMuse.com, ESPN.com, and NBA.com.
Pascal Siakam is no stranger to flying under the radar. After only averaging 7.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game during his sophomore season in the NBA, Siakam burst onto the scene during the 2018-2019 NBA season where he averaged 16.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game with an eFG% of 59.1, a TS% of 62.8, and a PER of 18.74. No one knew what to say about such a drastic improvement, even after Siakam became widely known as one of the best two-way players in the league throughout that season.
Not only was Siakam one of the highest-rated defenders in the NBA that season but was also the “robin” to Kawhi Leonard’s “Batman” in their 2019 title run. Yet, Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard got most of the praise because of their established resumes, while Siakam had one of the most efficient shooting seasons of any forward that season, played elite defense, and just because it was his first dominant season, got very little praise from media outlets.
Since Kawhi Leonard left for the Clippers that following offseason, Siakam was passed the reigns as the team’s most talented player and had an up and down 2019-2020 campaign as he averaged a career-high of 22.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1 steal per game, but also had trouble with efficiency, finishing the season with an eFG% of 51.2, a TS% of 55.4, and a PER of 17.96, all of which were substantial dropoffs from the previous season (besides the PER which stayed consistent only because of his elite defense).
Siakam’s usage was also incrementally higher without Leonard being the focus for opposing defenses, allowing opposing teams to have a better gameplan for Siakam which as a result hurt his efficiency. The Raptors still made the playoffs that season and came one-win away from the Eastern Conference Finals even without Leonard, which is another testament to how good Siakam’s defense was even without efficient shooting.
In 2020-2021, Siakam’s points and rebounds hovered around the same stats and his efficiency was down again, with an eFG% of 49.1, a TS% of 54.7, a PER of 17.77, and a miserable 3PT% of 29.7 after not having below a 3PT% of 35 since his breakout 2018-2019 NBA season. The Raptors missed the playoffs and faced an offseason full of questions surrounded by whether the team could have future success with Siakam being their best player.
Well, he doesn’t have to be anymore and is flourishing this season because of that. NBA All-Star Fred VanVleet is the team’s undisputed best player and leader (leading the team in points, assists, and steals) while Siakam has cruised to a more efficient season as the team’s second-best player averaging 21.9 points, 8.7 rebounds (career-high), and 1.3 steals (career-high) per game with an eFG% of 52.7, a TS% of 56.4, a 3PT% just under 35, and a PER of 20.18 (by far the highest of his career to date).
In fact, the Raptors have won 9 of their last 11 games and Siakam has been a huge part of that averaging 24.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists with an eFG% of 57.9 a TS% of 61.3, and a 3PT% of 39 during that span, efficiency that is reminiscent of his breakout season in 2018-2019. Siakam is again one of the highest-rated defenders in the NBA this season as well.
If Siakam continues to produce at this rate, he will have his most dominant season yet, and more media members and news outlets should discuss how great of a season Siakam is having because he deserves to be in the same conversation as other stars. Since Leonard left, the Raptors haven’t gotten much media attention, but if the Raptors make another run this season, Siakam and the Raptors will finally get the recognition that they deserve.
The Raptors have the 7 seed at the moment with a record of 32-25, and if Siakam can continue this kind of production, there is no telling how far the Raptors can go, especially with Siakam as their second-best player. We all remember what happened the last time Siakam was the Raptors’ second-best player (although Fred VanVleet is no Kawhi Leonard).