TORONTO — Behold Pascal Siakam, who might end up being the most remarkable Toronto Raptors story of the ‘How did they get this good?’ era.
Sunday night, nothing game and the 24-year-old from Cameroon is out here looking like one of the best players in the NBA again.
Step into an open corner three with confidence? Not a problem for the third-year pro who shot 14 per cent from deep as a rookie.
Defense closing in? Shot-clock winding down? No worries, the six-foot-nine wing who was playing centre for New Mexico State when he was drafted 27th overall in 2016 — and few draft gurus had him going even that high — takes a couple of dribbles left and lofts a delicate runner from 15 feet that any point guard in the NBA would be proud to have in their arsenal, and is unstoppable when someone as long and rangy as Siakam lets it fly.
Need a steal? Here’s a steal. Blocked shot in crunch time? That’s what he’s here for.
Rebound and lead the break? Siakam will rebound and lead the break. Catch an impossible pass at full speed to score in transition? That’s how Siakam began gaining notice in the NBA and running fast and hard remains central to his game even as his star has climbed.
Sunday night’s effort in the Raptors bizarre 115-114 loss to the visiting Charlotte Hornets won’t even crack his top 10 this season but there is no way Toronto would have even had a chance without him, as Siakam put up 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists on 14 shots.
He’ll rue his five turnovers but he’s got nothing to ashamed about — at least two of them were on passes he’s one of the few players in the league would even be in position to catch.
Siakam was flawless even as Jeremy Lamb’s fading heave from beyond half court at the buzzer snatched the win for the visitors. The versatile Siakam had switched on to Lamb on Charlotte’s in-bounds play with 3.1 seconds left and knocked the ball out of his hands on the catch and had Lamb chasing the ball back to his own half of the court before launching his game-winning prayer.
“I don’ t think I could have defended that any better,” Siakam said.
Hey March Madness. ‘Tis the season.
But as fans and NBA talent evaluators alike get swept up in the NCAA tournament and get excited about youngsters with hype, remember Siakam arrived in the NBA with no hype, no pedigree and a very rudimentary game. Three years later he’s headed for stardom, well past countless players drafted well ahead of him 2016 or any other draft.
The Hornets came to Toronto with seven lottery picks on their roster and the Raptors president would be fired if he traded Siakam straight up for any of them — even Kemba Walker. When you factor in age, contract status, health, character and potential the list of players you would trade Siakam for without blinking might top out at 15 and all of them were drafted a lot higher than Siakam at was.
“To be honest, I don’t think about it,” he said about how he’s obliterated any preconceptions his draft position might have implied. “At the end of the day it’s just numbers, it’s just the draft. For me I’m just blessed I landed here and I’m able to work hard and develop with this staff and guys that believe in me. That’s what matters to me. I’m not worried about who was drafted where or whatever. I’m just here and I’m happy to be here, I’m blessed to be here and I’m concerned with just getting better and we all know there are no limits.”
The loss dropped the Raptors to 51-23 and eliminated whatever chance they had of winning a team-record 60 games as they have just eight to play. With Milwaukee winning, Toronto now trails the Bucks by four games while leading Philadelphia by 3.5. Their second seed is set. The focus now might be on not playing down to their competition as has been a habit lately. The Raptors play just one game against a team with a winning record from here on in so they’ll have plenty of practice.
The Raptors should take a cue from Siakam — his season has been about separating himself from the competition.
He couldn’t quite get them over the hump Sunday night. Early on as the Raptors looked like they were going to run away and hide on the Hornets, it was fueled by Siakam’s hot start — he had 11 in the first quarter on just five shots.
And as the Raptors had to dig themselves out from a 12-point hole with just over eight minutes to play, Siakam was central in their surge, from switching out to defend Hornets point guard Kemba Walker, to finding his way to the rim as Hornets big Frank Kaminsky was no match for his quickness as the Raptors went to a small line-up.
Siakam’s left-handed drive and right-handed finish over Kaminsky tied the score with 2:32 to play was his 11th point of the fourth quarter. His defence was essential too.
The Raptors signalled that they were thinking about championships when they made the blockbuster trade for Kawhi Leonard last summer. Siakam’s growth is one of the primary reasons the dream could become reality.
Measure it any way you want and Siakam has become the equivalent of a top-five or even top-three pick, matching the eye test and the story told by his raw numbers.
According to Basketball-Reference.com, Siakam ranks second in his draft class in career WinShares with 14.5, trailing only Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers, who was taken first that year. Siakam is second in Value Over Replacement Player and is third in WS/48 minutes and Box Score Plus/Minus.
Siakam is almost certain to go down as the best draft pick the Raptors have ever made. As a team, the Raptors are a collection of players who have vastly out-performed their draft position. Lowry was taken 24th in 2006 and ranks third in his class in WinShares; Leonard was taken 15th in 2011 and ranks second in his class; Gasol was taken 48th in 2007 and is third in WinShares. Fred VanVleet was undrafted; Danny Green was a second-round pick.
The Raptors don’t have a lottery pick on their roster, they just have plenty of players who play like one, Siakam only the most obvious example.
I asked Raptors head coach Nick Nurse what he’s noticed in his six seasons as an NBA coach about players who seem to rise once they make the league compared with those that never reach the potential projected for them — like pretty much the entire Hornets roster.
“I think one of the things that I notice is that [they] understand really quickly the work day of a professional basketball player,” said Nurse. “… It’s a day that you’ve gotta get used to putting in and be able to handle it, almost matter-of-factly. It just doesn’t bother you that that’s your work day. I think that’s right at the top of the list.
“And then I think courage goes up there next, you know, guys that have the courage to go out on the floor and start making plays, to just let it all hang out and go for it,’ said Nurse. “They’re not worried about their last miss, they’re still gonna make the next play [and] right team, right time, right place, right team, right place, opportunity.”
Could there be any better description of Siakam, who was bouncing back-and-forth between the G-League and Raptors two seasons ago and not only got serious consideration as an all-star, but is likely the favourite for the league’s most improved player award?
His formula: Show up, work hard and then play with reckless abandon when the lights are brightest.
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A non-shooter as rookie and just a 22-per cent three-point shooter last season, Siakam is shooting 35.3 per cent from deep — almost precisely the NBA average — on 2.6 attempts per game and a very respectable 41 per cent from the corners which is where the Raptors need him to be most dangerous.
He shot 62.1 per cent from the free-throw line last season and is shooting 78-per-cent on more than double the attempts. As his minutes and opportunities have increased his efficiency has exploded his True Shooting percentage of .623 leads the Raptors and is 19th in the NBA.
Slotted as an energetic role player early on, Siakam is now routinely initiating the offence down the stretch in close games.
In the 21 games since he was passed over for the all-star game, Siakam is averaging 20.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 52.4 per cent from the floor and 39.5 per cent from deep.
Is there a connection?
“Obviously I feel like I could have been in there and I always felt like I wanted to get to the point where it’s not a question that I’ll be in it,” he said. “That’s my goal and that’s how I see it so I’m not here complaining I should have been there. Extra motivation is good but for me the things that motivate me are bigger than basketball. There are always things to motivate me.”
Which suggest he’s still got plans to get better, meaning Siakam’s journey to stardom may just be getting started.
