Siakam’s 2020 Playoff Struggles Won’t Define Him

It wasn’t long ago that questions swirled about Kyle Lowry’s ability to perform in the playoffs.

Back then the Toronto Raptors were still new to the postseason. They had just come off a magical 2013-14 season in which they defied expectations and snuck into the playoffs for a thrilling seven-game series against the Brooklyn Nets. Lowry had looked phenomenal in the series, averaging 21.1 points per game and coming a blocked layup shy of from toppling the Nets.

When the 2014-15 season started, expectations understandably went up. That’s what made the 2015 sweep by the Washington Wizards so tough. Lowry didn’t just regress in his second playoffs with Toronto, he fell off a cliff. 

“There are not many words you can say on TV, without them being four-letter words,” Lowry said following the embarrassing 125-94 Game 4 loss to the Wizards.

But the 28-year-old Lowry owned it. He knew his 12.3 points per game on 31% shooting wasn’t going to cut it if the Raptors were ever going to advance far in the playoffs.

“It was very unsatisfactory, to be honest,” Lowry said in April 2015. “At the end of the day, I’ve got to continue to get better and I will get better.”

A lot of words were written about that playoff performance and Lowry’s inability to get it done when it mattered.

He read them all.

“When we got swept by the Wizards I read every single article, I read every single thing that was said about me: good, bad, evil, terrible, awesome,” Lowry said following Toronto’s Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday. “I used it as motivation.”

Five years later, that’s where Pascal Siakam sits after a disappointing playoff performance against the Celtics. 

“I wasn’t able to really help my teammates,” Siakam said. “I take a lot of the blame, man. I take a lot of the blame.”

After an incredible regular season that vaulted Siakam into NBA stardom and his first all-star game appearance, he regressed in the playoffs. Against the Celtics, he averaged 14.9 points on 38%.

In short, he was exposed as a star, not a superstar.

But legacies aren’t written at 26 years old. Siakam has time.

“I just have to back to the drawing board and come back better,” he said Friday night. “That’s something that I’ve always been able to do as a player. So I’ll just go back and figure it out.”

That’s what Lowry will tell him.

“You look at everything, you look at all these moments, and you see who’s saying what, because you’re going to use it as fuel,” the 34-year-old Lowry said. “That’s what he’s going to do.”

Siakam has done it before. In four years he’s gone from a back-of-the-bench guy to a role player to a contributor on a championship team to NBA stardom.

“I’m proud of him,” said Fred VanVleet who entered the league the same year as Siakam. “I love and he’s my brother and I’ll go to war with him any day.”

This experience is just part of Siakam’s journey.

“The future is bright for P,” VanVleet said. “I know that with his work ethic and his attitude, this moment will make him that much more better. I’m proud of his development and how far he’s come, we came in together, and he’ll continue to get better each year so I’m excited for him for him to get back to work and come back a better player next year.”

While the loss may have been a setback for Siakam, a “minor one,” if you ask Raptors coach Nick Nurse, there is little doubt that he will have another chance to prove he can do it when the lights shine the brightest. 

So don’t let one playoff performance define him. It didn’t for Lowry and it shouldn’t for Siakam.