After the departure of Kawhi Leonard, the future of the Toronto Raptors falls into the hands of forward Pascal Siakam. The 25-year-old known as “Spicy P” is entering his fourth season with a championship ring already on his finger. He went from a 27th pick to the steering wheel of a franchise.
So what can Siakam do to ensure the Raptors don't completely collapse after Leonard's move to Los Angeles? Here are three ways the Cameroonian star can take to make the next leap to superstardom.
Improve His Three-Point Shot Yet Again
Siakam came into the league as a nonfactor from the three-point line. In his rookie year, he barely put up any shots from beyond the arc and shot an average of 14.3 percent. His sophomore year wasn't much better, and he finished at a subpar 22 percent.
Last season, Siakam exploded. He upped his three-point tries to 2.7 attempts per game and knocked down 36.9 percent of them. In just one year, the wingman went from a dude who defenses left wide open to an average shooter who could burn defenses if they didn't closeout. If Siakam can do this in one year, he can certainly take one more step and become an even better shooter. If he can bump the average to 38 or 39 percent, Siakam will be one of the most deadly players in the league.
Interior Defense
While Siakam has always been a terror on the perimeter with his 6'9 frame, the former New Mexico State Aggie has never been a shot-blocking threat. Right now, the Raptors already have two lockdown interior defender sin Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka, but these two players don't fit into the Raptors plans long term. Both of their contracts are up at the end of the 2019-20 season. Siakam is Toronto's future.
While the two big men are in Toronto, Siakam could learn a lot from them about the timing and the technique of blocking shots and holding down the paint. Imagine a small ball lineup with Siakam at the five that is still capable of holding its own on defense. The combination could be deadly.
Leadership
This is in no way a knock on Siakam. He is well-liked in the locker room and is a fan favorite Raptor already. However, the team will badly need a vocal leader now that it has no true dominant player to bond them all together. While Leonard was never a talkative guy himself, he let his play do the talking, and no one currently on the Raptors has the skills to single-handedly carry a team for a month with their play alone right now.
Kyle Lowry will take the mantle as the leader for now, but Siakam is bound to surpass him as the face of the franchise eventually.
As Pascal Siakam gets better on the floor, his teammates will continue to look to him for leadership and guidance. This is a perfect season to grow as a leader and mentor, as it will surely have its challenges and let downs after last seasons high.
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