#pascal-siakam

#pascal-siakam

The Toronto Raptors have started to look around the league for top candidates to replace Nick Nurse as the team's head coach.While names like Kenny Atkinson and Becky Hammon raised some collective eyebrows, one name that could steal the job away is Sacramento Kings assistant head coach Jordi Fernandez.

The Toronto Raptors' disappointing tailspin doesn't end anytime soon.They have a big offseason ahead of them with a vacant head coaching position, a lottery selection to make, and free agency to improve upon their lackluster season.Coming into the season, Toronto knew they had two key rotation players about to hit free agency with Gary Trent Jr. and Fred VanVleet expected to decline their player options and receive big paydays.

The Toronto Raptors have barely gotten out of the starting blocks in the 2023 offseason, and they were already dealt a major kick in the butt when Ime Udoka chose to leave them at the altar.After many expected him to join Toronto as Nick Nurse's replacement, Udoka bolted for the Houston Rockets.While there are some doubts about Toronto's direction, what is inarguable is that they are more well-equipped to win in 2023 than the Rockets, who are currently hoping the ping pong balls give them a shot at Victor Wembanyama.

Pascal Siakam and the Toronto Raptors may have beat up on the Miami Heat thanks to a Scottie Barnes masterclass, but there was a tinge of bittersweetness in that victory.As with all wins against Miami in the last few years, it came at the expense of Kyle Lowry.Even though Lowry has been in Miami for the last two years, and Toronto has done a very nice job of peeling the Band-Aid off and transitioning to the post-Lowry era, quotes from stars like Siakam show that the specter of Lowry hasn't left this locker room.

Conversations about the Toronto Raptors have been rife with discord.Anytime a young star has a presence on a team, competing conceptions of their impact and ceiling are argued to death, and the process of how they achieve that aforementioned ceiling is also argued to death.Other players help, or hurt, or help and hurt, but they do something, and so further stances must be taken regarding that interplay.

It took over three months and five previous failed tries but the Raptors are back at .500.Miami was missing Jimmy Butler in this game, after being ruled out with a neck injury.The Heat were already a small team and losing one of their big wings didn't help.Toronto crushed Miami with a 62-36 points in the paint advantage.

The hardest and final task of the four-game homestand is coming up tonight as the Raptors will take on the Miami Heat.Toronto leads the season series two to one and will look to make it three one after tonight.It's a huge game that the Raptors must win if they plan on catching the Heat, who are only three games ahead.

There's a scene in the 1997 movie Armageddon - one of the worst movies ever made, but maybe also the single best bad movie ever made? - where, as our heroes prepare to launch into space so they can go drill a hole in an asteroid, the NASA flight director says to all those assembled, "All right ladies and gentlemen, it's pucker time."

Despite the divide (or chasm) that has developed between fans opinions on Fred VanVleet, there's no denying that his past couple months of play have been significantly better than his first couple.Coinciding with VanVleet's resurgence, was a dip from Pascal Siakam.The Raptors offense hasn't hit a peak this season.

Last night's game was never in question for Toronto, from the opening tip you could just tell that it was going to be an easy night for the Raptors.Specifically, Pascal Siakam was playing like a man possessed in his efforts to ensure Toronto would be sending Detroit home with a loss.Pascal Siakam is a wonderfully talented scorer and that was truly on display last night.

The Warriors have been begging for anyone to step up for these the last few weeks of the season.The Dubs' big three Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green needed reinforcement.The team, as a whole, needed a push.And just in time, someone has come through.Jonathan Kuminga has flashed his prodigious talent before this past week it's impossible to hide that athleticism.

It's really difficult to create layups and dunks in the halfcourt.There's a reason the most desirable players in the sport are those who can create looks at the rim, either to score or force the haphazard collapse from the defense to create opportunities elsewhere.The Raptors are still a bottom-five offense in the halfcourt, so they need to create easy looks as often as possible.

The Raptors have a huge game coming up tonight as they can further separate themselves from the Washington Wizards who are also eyeing a Play-In spot.It's the tie-breaking game for the series this season as they previously traded wins three weeks ago.Wizards scope (33-41, 11th in East | Offensive rating: 16th | Defensive rating: 21st) Last five games: vs Spurs 136-124 W, vs Nuggets 104-118 L, @ Magic 112-122 L, vs Kings 118-132 L, @ Cavaliers 94- 117 L.
Just a few weeks ago the Wizards and Raptors were fighting each other for a Play-In spot and now Washington has fallen off quite hard.

The Milwaukee Bucks are the top team in the eastern conference and to some, the top team in the NBA, and if there was ever a litmus test that Toronto wanted to use in order to measure exactly how they fare in the NBA, this was it.The night ended in defeat but this should be classified as a good loss rather than one that keeps everyone's heads down.