How Raptors' Pascal Siakam can keep improving even after winning MIP

Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam was officially named Most Improved Player ahead of D’Angelo Russell and De’Aaron Fox at the NBA Awards on Monday, but those in the know already saw this one coming.

Siakam didn’t just improve, he completely redefined his ceiling. Forget all the numbers and just consider this: In a one-point game with 38 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Siakam got his number called — ahead of even Kawhi Leonard — to clinch the NBA Finals in Game 6 with a layup over Draymond Green.

He used to be an average energy big coming off the bench. Siakam spent most of his rookie year in the G League. As a sophomore, Siakam got schooled by Mike Scott in the first round, swept in the second, and spent June and July playing in the Drew League and featuring daily in the Rico Hines runs.

A few months later, Siakam won the starting spot, set a career-high in scoring seven times, and emerged from a gauntlet of shutdown defenders in Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Green to finish the playoffs averaging 19 points, seven rebounds and three assists on 47 percent shooting from the field.

Although Siakam was successful, the process of playing the best defenders in the league was also instructive. Teams schemed specifically for Siakam, and it produced uneven results for most of the postseason. Siakam was mostly up and down: He followed a 12-of-15 effort against the Sixers with a 9-of-25 showing, and 14-of-17 against the Warriors with 4-of-18 in the next game. That speaks to more than just random variation — the best defenses in the league will force you away from your comfort zone, and at times Siakam did look lost.

His focus for the summer should be on expanding his game. Siakam works fine as a second option in this current setting because Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, Marc Gasol or Fred VanVleet can also sometimes step into the role, but Siakam’s current skillset wouldn’t fly on a team with less talent. Here’s how he can improve.

Extend range beyond the break

The most pressing concern in Siakam’s game is that he’s not a threat from above the break. Siakam feasts off rolls to the basket, spinning post-ups along the baseline, and by knocking down a respectable share of corner threes, but defenses flat-out ignored Siakam at the top of the floor and that led him to hesitate.

First and foremost, Siakam should look to extend his range. He already developed into a respectable corner shooter, and there’s no reason why he can’t consistently knock down the triple from farther out. Siakam can get an open look at the top of the floor whenever he wants, so he should really focus on making that automatic.

However, Siakam could also stand to improve as a playmaker. Green also faces the same limitations as Siakam, but he’s able to routinely rack up double-digit assists by facilitating at the top of the floor. For the most part, that duty is being served by Gasol on the Raptors, but it wouldn’t hurt if Siakam also learned the role of quarterbacking out of the post.

Develop the face-up game

The most effective strategy in stopping Siakam was to station a bigger player on him. Siakam is borderline unstoppable when he can go over the top of his man, but as Embiid and Brook Lopez demonstrated, Siakam can be goaded into forcing tough layups if there’s a hulking 7-footer at the basket.

The simplest counter would be to develop a pull-up jumper. Nobody expects Siakam to suddenly start jacking shots like Stephen Curry, but the makings of a face-up game already exist. Siakam is growing increasingly confident with his pull-ups, and it shouldn’t be a surprise if he started knocking down the elbow jumper with some consistency.

Siakam also quietly dabbled with a handful of pick-and-rolls throughout the season. This development looks to be further off, but Siakam’s handle is tight enough that he might be able to operate as a point forward, and that would unlock another set of possibilities for the Raptors’ offense.

Again, the idea would be to draw bigs out of the paint. Siakam can’t jump any higher and his arms aren’t growing any longer, so there’s just a physical impediment that he must overcome with skill. If he can draw bigs out of the paint to meet him, then he can beat his man with speed. But at the moment, since Siakam isn’t much of a threat from outside, the likes of Embiid and Lopez have the upper hand.

Handling double teams

As Siakam’s reputation grows, he will inevitably encounter double teams. In certain games throughout the season when Leonard sat out with load management, that was already the case. Teams know that Siakam is a threat to score 30 or more, and not everyone has a nimble 7-footer to guard the rim, so they send a second man to force Siakam to surrender the ball.

For the most part, the bulk of Siakam’s doubles come out of the post. He’s good at delivering the pass if someone flashes to the rim, but he generally tends to pick up the ball and try to reset. The goal should be to get Siakam more comfortable with his dribble so that he can give his teammates more time to sort themselves out. DeMar DeRozan used to have the same issue before he developed into a consistent playmaker.

Most of this will come with experience. It’s as much on Siakam to become more aware of the defense, just as it is for his teammates to understand where to move to solve the traps. For his part, Siakam is a willing passer, so that’s a start.

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