Siakam’s Woes Continue as Raptors Falter against Pelicans

The Toronto Raptors wanted to send a message to Pascal Siakam.

On the surface, it was because of the way he walked off the court after fouling out in the final moments of their 100-93 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. It was a bad look for the typically joyful Siakam, but nothing too atypical for a frustrated star. It wasn’t long ago that Kyle Lowry did the same thing, walking off the court before halftime to “decompress” back in 2016. Clearly, there was something more. Clearly whatever has been plaguing Siakam since the start of the pandemic has boiled over and those frustrations have hit a concerning level.

Those concerns did not dissipate Saturday night as the Raptors dropped their fourth game this season, 120-116 to the New Orleans Pelicans. Not only did Siakam struggle from the floor, but his frustration and ineffectiveness lingered throughout the game before he ultimately fouled out early in the fourth quarter.

“It’s definitely tough. That’s the toughest part of it. Being out there, when you’re not winning,” Siakam said. “Obviously it’s hard to be out there and smile and be happy. For me, it’s focusing on the little things and trying to continue to do things at the highest level possible. I just think once we start winning some games and put a lot of good minutes together as a team playing solid, good defence and getting stops, running, things like that, everything will go back to normal.”

At no point on Saturday did Siakam look right. He went 4-for-10 from the field with three turnovers and a team-low minus-16 plus-minus.

“He struggled, no doubt about it,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “I thought he had a few decent plays and a few good drives in there but he obviously struggled, half-count off rhythm there at both ends a little bit which is getting him in foul trouble and not letting him be able to finish some plays at the offensive end as well.”

Once he departed, Nurse turned to Chris Boucher who stepped up all night, playing significant minutes at the power forward spot in Siakam’s absence. When he took over for Siakam midway through the fourth quarter Toronto found themselves staring down a double-digit deficit. Minutes later, the Raptors were up 113-111.

“He’s played good there two games in a row,” Nurse said of Boucher. “We just need to be bigger when we’re playing a really big team like they are. I mean, they’re big as heck with [Steven] Adams and [Brandon] Ingram and Zion [Williamson] out there, and they still got a couple other guys that come in, too, that are good size. So just trying to match up a little bit athletically and size-wise.

Boucher finished the night as a team-high plus-11 in 28 minutes, most of which came alongside another big, either Aron Baynes or Alex Len.

“It helps a little bit when you’re playing against a smaller guy, you can contest a little bit more,” Boucher said of playing alongside another big. “[You can] help a little bit more on the drive knowing the centre is going to be at the position for the bigs. So I think it just helps me out make a better read.”

It also allowed Boucher to get out in transition a little more. With another big on the floor, he didn’t have to worry about rebounding as much. Instead, he could start the fast break, using his speed to frustrate the Pelicans’ bigs.

“Chris has played with those guys in two games, it’s been pretty good at the four,” Nurse said. “We really need some depth there, so it’s good to see that he’s been able to make a transition kind of on a need basis. Now it might be something we can count on.”

But despite Boucher’s 24-point night, the Raptors’ scoring woes reared their ugly head again late in the fourth quarter. Even with the defence clamping down, a pair of late turnovers and a missed free throw from OG Anunoby in crunch time cost the Raptors dearly.

Fred VanVleet

If not for Fred VanVleet, the Raptors would have been in a ton of trouble early. He seemed to be the only one who could create in the first half, scoring 21 points before the break including five buckets within the 3-point arc. Considering how good the Pelicans are inside, his inside scoring, even in transition was impressive.

“All I keep reading about is how terrible I am at finishing at the rim, so it might be a little bit of stuff for me to work on there a little more,” VanVleet joked after the game. “But it’s a process, man. I said that from my rookie year that it’s going to take time and I’ll keep getting at it.”

Last season VanVleet shot a woeful 51.5% within the restricted area. This year he’s up to 53.8%, which is an improvement, but still not great despite a strong showing on Saturday. 

He finished the game with a team-high 27 points, eight rebounds, and five assists

Big Rotation

The centre rotation appears as though it’s going to be a headache for Nurse all season. Some nights it’ll be the Aron Baynes night, other nights — like Saturday — Alex Len will be the first big off the bench when the opponent has supersized centres, and other times it’ll be time for Boucher. The problem for Nurse will be figuring out which big to go to on any given night and then figuring out who has the hot hand to ride.

“I think it’s just who’s out there we’re playing against,” Nurse said. “We were just trying to do the best we could with the matchups. I don’t think it was a searching thing. …I think it’s been okay and I think we’ll just keep, depending on who we’re playing, jockeying it around that way.”

Kyle Lowry The Coach

Late in the first quarter Terence Davis did something that clearly frustrated Nurse. It was unclear exactly what it was from the broadcast, but whatever he did prompted a discussion on the sideline first between Davis and Nurse and then with Lowry.

Davis is still developing as a player, especially in his decision making. Seeing Lowry so willing to teach his sophomore teammate was a good sign of the 34-year-old guard’s leadership.

Up Next: Boston Celtics

The Raptors will have the day off before returning on Monday to take on the Boston Celtics in a playoff rematch at 7:30 p.m. ET.