It’s not something you’ll see in the box score. Beyond stocks (hoop jargon for steals plus blocks), Pascal Siakam’s monstrous defensive output for the Toronto Raptors is difficult to quantify, and only truly comprehensible if you’ve watched him intently the past couple games. Keep your eyes locked on him and only him, and you’ll see him zip around the floor as an off-ball rover, arms extended, disrupting plays on a fluid, consistent basis.
“Just understanding what everyone can do defensively individually and then just taking that as a team and letting it carry over [is key],” Siakam said, “knowing that we can switch, we can guard one through five across the board. And that helps, just knowing you have another guy next to you that can do the same thing that you can do or even better.”
The Raptors forward has become masterful at blowing up opponents’ pick-and-rolls, coming out just far enough to discombobulate the handler (and sometimes trapping, when the moment calls for it) but easily able to slither backwards and cut off any hope the roller had of snagging the ball in space for an attempted layup.
Perhaps most noticeable has been his remarkable timing, his catlike instincts sending him surging into spindly motion at just the right second, whether it be for an iconic block or simply to contest a shooter with a hand right in their line of sight.
There have been a few instances of the former over the last couple days that have even the most casual of fans roaring about Pascal Siakam’s All-NBA candidacy. One, in particular, came in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat on Saturday night (what eventually became a classic triple overtime slugfest), when Jimmy Butler drove to the rim and Siakam rose to meet him, staying vertical and sending him backward. Butler caught the ball and immediately went up again, but somehow there was Siakam, bounding forward to swat the second shot like a pogo stick with arms.
Rapaziada, olha essa posse defensiva do Pascal Siakam contra o Jimmy Butler.
2 tocos seguidos e uma raça absurda! Muitos desistem no primeiro block e não voltam pra jogada.pic.twitter.com/aZybm1vPbe
— Raptors Brasil (@RaptorsBrazil) January 30, 2022
On Monday, in a tight game against the Atlanta Hawks, Siakam came up with an eerily similar play, rising to deny another victim as he controlled both ends of the floor in clutch time, eventually helping push the Raptors to a victory and snapping the Hawks’ seven-game winning streak.
When he initially returned from his offseason shoulder surgery, Siakam talked about finding consistency and wanting to improve, largely focusing on defense. He was never too concerned about scoring, knowing that would come soon enough. And now, here he is, having worked his way back into legitimate All-NBA form, tearing up both sides of the ball.
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