What a payday for Raptors Forward Pascal Siakam. He is looking at a solid 4 Yr/ $130m contract extension and he deserves every penny coming his way.
From a management standpoint this is something that Toronto needed to get done. Their summer was a bittersweet one losing Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green.
Siakam is by far the most valuable asset for the Raptors both offensively and defensively. Grabbing a solid 7 boards a game on a 12.2 PER is a big reason why his contract is the way it is right now.
If we look at his career as a whole he nearly doubled every statistical category, saw an increase in minutes, and became more aggressive with his touches. There have been numerous nights where he led the team in scoring and rebounding, giving Leonard a break carrying the load. It also carried into the playoffs and the NBA Finals.
With two offensive options gone, an aging Marc Gasol and an inconsistent Kyle Lowry, Siakam will carry the load for this team offensively and be the focal point in the teams defense. He saw an average of 31.9 minutes a night and I expect that to either be the same or increase to a good 35-36 minutes.
With this contract comes a lot of expectations and all eyes in Toronto will be on him as well as league-wide. When we think of the Raptors now we instantly say ‘Pascal Siakam’.
Nick Nurse would be crazy not to run an offense through Siakam as I can see his average jump to 16-22 shots a game.
2019-20 NBA Stats Projection:
20 ppg, 4.5 asg, 9.8 rpg 64% fg
I’m very high on Siakam and I think the Raptors will find success with him. The biggest question mark heading into this season is can they repeat? It might seem like a simple answer, but the vets they have on their team time is ticking.
Losing Kawhi and Danny is a big blow but I believe they will be in the playoffs but as far as repeating the odds are not in their favor.
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