Toronto Raptors: On the brink of elimination, Pascal Siakam can’t shake nightmare series
Toronto Raptors, Pascal Siakam can’t shake Boston Celtics
After winning Games 3 and 4, it seemed like all the momentum – and luck – in the series was on the Toronto Raptors side. However, almost initially after Game 5 tipped, that was clearly no longer so. In impressive fashion, in the way of a wire-to-wire 22-point victory in Game 5, the Boston Celtics now have a 3-2 series lead over the Raptors and are one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals.
Once again, when the team needed it most, the Celtics were carried by their big three – Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown. Boston’s trio combined for 66 points (48 percent shooting), 20 rebounds, and 11 assists. In a crucial Game 5, Boston’s stars rose to the occasion.
The same couldn’t be said, unfortunately, for the Raptors. During the pivotal Game 5, nearly every player on the Raptors struggled to get the ball in the hoop, especially Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam.
More from Sir Charles In Charge
- Dillon Brooks proved his value to Houston Rockets in the 2023 FIBA World Cup
- NBA Trade Rumors: 1 Player from each team most likely to be traded in-season
- Golden State Warriors: Buy or sell Chris Paul being a day 1 starter
- Does Christian Wood make the Los Angeles Lakers a legit contender?
- NBA Power Rankings: Tiering all 30 projected starting point guards for 2023-24
Lowry and Siakam only combined to score 20 points on 17 shot attempts. Siakam once again found himself in a little bit of foul trouble early and totally took him out of an aggressive approach. This has been what we’ve seen all series long for Siakam.
In this series, Siakam is only averaging 16 points, seven rebounds, and three assists on 42 percent shooting from the field and a putrid 13 percent from 3-point range. To put those numbers into context, Siakam averaged 23 points, seven rebounds, and four assists on 45 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent shooting from 3-point range during his breakout regular season.
He was the Raptors leading-scorer for much of the season, but he simply hasn’t been that against the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. He seems lost, out of sorts, and disinterested on most nights.
Even in the spurts that he does come out aggressive, his 3-point shot isn’t falling, or he’s being forced into tough, uncomfortable shots by Jaylen Brown. Quite frankly, I’m not sure if this series is more telling about the player that Siakam is, his current struggles, or how great Brad Stevens’ defensive game plan has been all series long.
Could this just be a nightmare series for Pascal Siakam? Absolutely. Could this just be more of the Celtics keeping him out of his offensive spots that make him so effective? Absolutely. Could you make the argument that if Siakam is the player that most believe he can be, he still should be able to find a way to be effective (especially when his team needs him most)? Yes, absolutely.
Next. New York Knicks: 3 trade packages that could land LaMelo Ball. dark
With the Toronto Raptors on the brink of elimination, there’s no question that Game 6 is an opportunity for Pascal Siakam to bounce back in a big way. If the Raptors are going to see the light of a Game 7, there might not be any other way.