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Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry still has Pascal Siakam's back despite Spicy P's struggles in the 2020 playoffs, particularly in their second-round series against the Boston Celtics.
The 2018-19 champions were officially dethroned on Friday, as they dropped the winner-take-all Game 7 on Friday, 87-92, inside the AdventHealth Arena.
Asked postgame what he has to say about Siakam's disappearing act in the series, the 34-year-old Raptors playmaker offered some uplifting advice to the misfiring forward.
Raptors’ Kyle Lowry said he immersed himself in criticism after playoff struggles early in career & recommends Pascal Siakam does the same now: “The advice I would give him: Look at everything. Find out who is saying what. You’re going to use it as fuel.” pic.twitter.com/HnYg7Lt4tp
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) September 12, 2020
Kyle Lowry: "When we got swept by the Wizards I read every single article. I read every single thing that was said about me – good, bad, evil, terrible, awesome, and I used it as motivation. And that's what (Siakam) is going to do. That's the advice I would give him."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) September 12, 2020
Pascal Siakam has been taking a lot of flak throughout the series for failing to replicate his impressive regular-season form. The 6-foot-9 Cameroonian was once again the scapegoat for the Raptors' misery on Friday, as he finished with an uninspired 13-point outing.
The 26-year-old collected 11 boards, three assists, and one block in 42 minutes, but he was ineffective from the field after going just 5-for-12.
Spicy P was the Raptors best player in the regular season and was a big reason why the 2019 champs managed to secure the second seed in the East despite the departure of superstar Kawhi Leonard over the summer. Some pundits even dubbed him as the second-coming of Leonard for his ability to impact the game on both ends. He was named the Most Improved Player of the Year last season and became an All-Star for the first time this campaign.
Siakam notched 22.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steal in 60 regular-season games. Those numbers dropped significantly in the second round against Boston, as he tallied just 14.9 points on a dreadful 39.4 percent field goal shooting clip.
With that said, it's still unfair to pit the Raptors' shortcomings solely on Siakam's shoulders. Toronto still had a wonderful season even after most pundits didn't give them much of a shot after Leonard's exit.
