If you remove Kawhi Leonard from the equation, there isn't a more important player to the Toronto Raptors than forward Pascal Siakam.
Siakam is in the midst of a breakout season. After manning a consistent role off the Raptors bench in his first two seasons in the NBA, newly promoted head coach Nick Nurse opted to go with a different starting five, one that featured Siakam as a permanent starter. Boy, did it pay dividends.
Averaging 16.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game in the regular season, he was an instrumental reason for the Raptors finishing with 50-plus wins for a fourth consecutive season. And Siakam contributed on both ends of the floor.
Whether it be running — or finishing — the fastbreak, playing shutdown defense, finding crafty ways to score inside, or simply being an integral source of offense, the forward makes his presence felt on both ends; he's the glue that keeps the Raptors together.
Leonard is Toronto's alpha-dog scorer; Kyle Lowry is still a reliable two-way player and the team's floor general; Marc Gasol is one of the best centers in the NBA; Serge Ibaka is a defensive enforcer; Danny Green is a “three-and-D” wing. But Siakam is the scientific calculator that makes the math work.
There isn't a particular attribute of Siakam's game that stands out. Sure, he was the Raptors' second-leading scorer this season and plays at a high level defensively, but none of it holds prominence over any other part of his game. He finds ways to score by taking what the defense gives him, whether it be an outside jump shot, or the chance to attack the rack and potentially draw a foul.
On the other end, he can take on a team's best frontline scorer.
Pascal Siakam isn't a bonafide go-to scorer, but he can play in the post. However, the biggest reason why Siakam is an offensive threat is his ability to adjust his approach based on the flow of a particular game. If a team is fortifying its efforts towards shutting down Leonard, that opens up opportunity for Siakam to feast inside. Defensively, if Leonard and Lowry are firing on all cylinders, all Siakam has to do is play lockdown defense and finish inside. Sounds like we're talking about a more offensive-savvy Draymond Green, doesn't it?
Green can hit the outside jump shot in moderation, but with the likes of Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson in the Golden State Warriors starting rotation, Green's job is to play elite defense and find the open man. Siakam has a similar skill set as Green, and moves around the floor in an eerily similar way, but has more offensive skill.
Siakam put on a show in the Raptors' Game 3 first-round matchup with the Orlando Magic Friday night. As Leonard struggled to get in a rhythm and totaled just 16 points, Siakam stepped up, finishing with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists. He also had several pivotal late-game shots and rebounds that helped the Raptors secure a win.
If you remove Siakam from the Raptors, their title aspirations would go up in flames because there isn't a player in Nurse's rotation who can make up for what he provides on a nightly basis.
Lowry is the Raptors heartbeat, but he's not the same threat, or relied on as much as he was in the Dwane Casey days. While a valued leader and proven floor general, the point guard's offensive production has dropped in recent memory. The team currently looks to Leonard more, who is essentially a point forward, and Siakam for offense, and scoring point guards are a dime a dozen these days. That's not to take anything away from Lowry, but there are plenty of point guards who can score 10-15 points a game.
Ibaka is still a towering shot-blocker who finishes inside. He also posts up and hits midrange jumpers. At the same time, Pascal Siakam has taken pressure off Ibaka offensively, allowing him to be more productive (Ibaka averaged 15.0 points per game this season, which was the most he provided since the 2013-14 season when he averaged 15.1 points). It's not to say that Ibaka isn't a reliable two-way player because he's exactly that. However, Siakam is a more skilled player and can impact a game in more ways.
Gasol is still one of the best centers in the NBA, but the Raptors were a contender before they acquired him. Sure, he has a two-way, flexible skill set that would seamlessly fit into any team's rotation, but the Raptors shuffle the likes of Siakam and Ibaka with Gasol inside; Gasol isn't relied on to produce at the level he did with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Green is still one of the best “three-and-D” players in the NBA, but not an end-all factor to Toronto's success. Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell, and Jeremy Lin provide instant offense off the bench, but given how everyone on the depth chart can score, the absence of one of those guards wouldn't mark the end of the world.
The Raptors are looking to get over the playoff hump and represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, if not bring a championship to Toronto. Even though they lost Game 1 against the Magic on their home floor — which has been a frequent occurrence for them in the first round — this team gives off a different vibe than it has in seasons past.
They have a new franchise player in Leonard and an All-Star center in Gasol, with veterans who were once key contributors playing smaller roles, as well as individuals who have been in place for a while coming into their own as prominent players; no one has made a leap like Siakam.
Pascal Siakam should win this season's NBA Most Improved Player of the Year Award. Throughout it all, he became his team's second-best player in their quest for an NBA championship. How often does that happen?
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