Starters full of praise for how Siakam complements
It is not like the Raptors needed to see something more from Pascal Siakam to pick up the fourth-year option on his contract, but the power forward has been putting on a show nonetheless.
The Raptors big man, whom many predicted was in for a breakout year, set career highs for points (22) on Monday night against the Milwaukee Bucks, and rebounds (15) on Tuesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s averaging 10.9 points, seven rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.7 steals per game as the club heads west for a four-game trip that starts Friday in Phoenix.
“He means everything to us,” teammate Kyle Lowry said after Tuesday’s 129-112 victory over the Sixers. “I think he’s underappreciated by fans and people, but not by us.
“He’s unbelievable, honestly, the things he’s doing and the things he can do on that basketball floor. The pace he plays with, the energy, the skill work. I give him all the credit because he’s just continuing to get better and he’s still young.”
On Wednesday, the Raptors exercised the option on Siakam’s deal, plus the third-year option to keep OG Anunoby in the fold through next season. Per team policy, the financial terms were not disclosed, but Siakam is expected to collect about $2.3 million (U.S) next season, up from $1.5 million. Anunoby’s salary would jump from $1.9 million to $2.2 million.
The Raptors declined Malachi Richardson’s fourth-year option. He will become a free agent in July.
As Siakam’s overall game becomes more refined, it’s his ball handling and passing — the ability to create for those around him — that has improved the most. While he’s shooting 59.4 per cent from the field, he is only 3-for-13 from behind the arc. But that number can be mitigated by the shooters alongside him, particularly Lowry, Kawhi Leonard,
Danny Green and Serge Ibaka. If Siakam can feed the guys around him, some who are normally feeders themselves, the points will come.
“He’s P-Skills,” centre Jonas Valanciunas said. “He’s handling the ball. Sometimes I don’t know, he’s trailing, he’s handling. I get confused because he’s all over the place. He’s good. He’s just enjoying playing basketball.”
The 24-year-old earns high praise for the energy he bring to the game.
“You’ll see him get the ball and go one way and fake hand-off and spin back and go the other way,” Nurse said. “Guys are cutting around him and it’s giving us some good movement on the offensive end.
“Defensively, it’s the same. He’s getting deflections. He had a great night rebounding (Tuesday), really was in the right place and went up and snapped them. That’s advantageous to us because when he snaps down a defensive rebound, we’re out with him bringing it.”
For Siakam, the focus is less on career highs — “OK, OK, OK, I did?” was his reaction when told about the personal best in rebounds — and more on figuring out how to play with Toronto’s starters, what he can do to help the group perform better overall.
He likes the space that teams are affording him on the perimeter, even if the threes aren’t falling, which allows him to keep moving.
“And having the ball in my hands and being able to handle also helps,” Siakam said. “And the guys trusting me to have the ball in my hands and do different things, so I can find ways to score and ways to dish for anybody else, for an assist or whatever. So, just picking my spots and finding a way to have an impact.”
Like on defence, where Siakam — who is averaging 26 minutes early in the season compared to 20.7 minutes over the course of last year — likes to be aggressive.
“I mean, I like to run, so whenever we can get stops and run I think that’s a better game for all of us,” he said. “So, the more we can do that, the better we look.”
Running hard, playing hard, being active. They might seem like basic qualities for a professional athlete, but it’s those fundamentals that make Siakam vital to the team’s success, Lowry said.
“He never really asks for the ball. He just always puts himself in a good position to be successful, and we really love him being successful.”