gold star for USAHOF

5. Pascal Siakam

5. Pascal Siakam

Pascal Siakam was a late starter in basketball, as the Cameroonian did not play until his early teens.  He was a natural and moved to the U.S. at age sixteen to develop his skills, which would land him at New Mexico State.  Siakam won the WAC Player of the Year, but he was not expected to do that much as a pro.  The Raptors took him late (27th) in the 2016 Draft, and the project that was Pascal Siakam began.

Siakam played a good amount of his rookie season in the G-League, winning a title and Finals MVP there, after which the Power Forward stayed with the Raptors for good.  A backup for most of 2017-18, Siakam became a starter in 2018-19, in a season where it felt like he improved with every game played.  Siakam was electric in the playoffs, playing a large part in their first NBA Championship.  For his regular season efforts, Siakam won the NBA Most Improved Player of the Year Award.

Siakam was no longer going to sneak up on anyone, but he got even better in 2019-20, going to his first All-Star Game, collecting a Second Team All-NBA nod, and averaging 22.9 Points per Game.  Siakam has not been an All-Star since, but he is currently on a three-year streak of at least 20 Points per Game, is Toronto's best player, and is capable of more All-Star Game appearances.  Notably, he was also a Third Team All-NBA Selection to years ago.

Emtering 2023-24, SIakam is coming off his best scoring season (24.2 PPG), and is on a two-year streak in leading the NBA in Minutes per Game.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Power Forward
  • Acquired: Selected in the 1st Round, 27th Overall in the NBA Draft 6/23/16.
  • Games Played: 471
  • Per Game Averages:

    30.6 MP
    .526 eFG%
    .774 FT%
    17.0 PTS
    6.5 RB
    3.5 AST
    0.9 STL
    0.7 BLK

    53 Playoff Games
    33.2 MP
    .591 eFG%
    .757 FT%
    15.9 PTS
    6.3 RB
    2.9 AST
    0.9 STL
    0.4 BLK

  • Advanced Stats:

    18.0 PER
    .567 TS%
    14.8 VORP
    41.6 WS

    53 Playoff Games
    15.7 PER
    .529 TS%
    1.5 VORP
    3.7 WS

  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    NBA Champion (2019)
    Third Team All-NBA (2022)
    Second Team All-NBA (2020)
    All-Star (2020)
    Most Improved Player of the Year (2019)
    Most Minutes Played per Game (2021-22)

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