The Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers will do battle in the Eastern Conference semifinals, but there is still plenty of admiration to go around.
Sixers star center Joel Embiid, who is from Cameroon, was highly complimentary of fellow countryman and Raptors forward Pascal Siakam leading up to Game 1 of the series on Saturday night:
Embiid on fellow Cameroonian Siakam: "He's had a hell of a year. It's amazing how far he's come, especially considering where he was last year. I'm so happy and so proud of him. But we're not going to be friends in this series."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 27, 2019
Siakam very well could be the winner of this year's Most Improved Player award. After averaging just 7.3 points and starting in only five games last season, Siakam put up 16.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists while starting in 79 of the 80 games he played in during the regular season.
His development alongside star small forward Kawhi Leonard has been the largest reason for Toronto's ability to stay in the top two in the Eastern Conference for nearly the entire season, despite Leonard sitting out multiple games for “load management” and Kyle Lowry missing time due to injury.
Not only has Siakam developed into a scoring threat capable of knocking down shots from the perimeter, but he has also continued to be a stout defender. According to NBA.com, opponents shot under 40 percent from the field when guarded by Siakam.
This has carried into the postseason, where Siakam registered a 94.5 defensive rating in Toronto's five-game series victory over the Orlando Magic.
For his part, Embiid may be the X-factor in this series.
Despite being mostly healthy for nearly the entire regular season, he was hampered by knee soreness in Philly's series against the Nets, and his status is still somewhat unclear as the Sixers prepare for their toughest test yet.
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