Pascal Siakam attempted only one shot in the fourth quarter of this close loss to the Thunder. It didn’t go in, but that’s not really the point. The point is that the Raptors have this dude, this Siakam, this MIP Improved Player candidate, and they ignored him in a tight game in favor of Kawhi Leonard, who is good, but is also going to leave during the offseason. There is no reason, right now, to have the offense built around Leonard, because he is not part of the future. Siakam, he’s the future of the Raptors. Am I being sarcastic? I don’t even know, because I bet he can average 20 next season while Leonard averages 17 with all his touches carefully regimented by LeBron James.
Siakam’s last points with 5 minutes left in the third quarter were possibly his sickest of the night, and all Nick Nurse could think was “we have to freeze this guy out and keep him on the bench for as long as we can”. Just look at him (him being Nurse). Do you trust that guy to give minutes in a fair and just way? Heck no. Look at those glasses. Those are the glasses of a weasel. Again, am I being sarcastic? Does this face look sarcastic to you?
Yeah, Siakam had a lot of turnovers. Boo frickin’ hoo. Turnovers are what happen when you’re a good player. No one ever complains when Russell Westbrook turns it over, because he’s trying to make something happen, just like Siakam. He’s trying to make plays for his team, and an overwhelming amount of the time he does. So there. That’s what I think.