#pascal-siakam

#pascal-siakam

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.

In a proposed 3-team megadeal that would give the Boston Celtics core a facelift, The Ringer's Brian Barrett sent away Jaylen Brown to the Magic and Marcus Smart/Robert Williams III to the Raptors to land Pascal Siakam, Markelle Fultz, Wendell Carter Jr, and Franz Wagner.Orlando would also give its two 2023 first-round picks to Toronto.

The Toronto Raptors have been bombarded with a ceaseless deluge of trade rumors in the offseason, with players like Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby ranking among those who have been thrown into the rumor mill as many Raptors fans try to kickstart a hypothetical rebuild.While trading Siakam would be the surest sign that this team is headed for a rebuild, he would also recoup the most in any sort of trade.

Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors have adhered to a very strict philosophy in the last decade of drafting.Most of their NBA Draft picks have been made off the notion that drafting the best athlete possible was a more effective use of their resources than drafting someone for immediate need.While many mock drafters and Raptors fans are pleading for the organization to use one of their picks on a guard that can make an impact as a scorer, Ujiri is not going to jeopardize the possibility of adding someone who fits his vision for a player that might not have as high of a ceiling.

The Toronto Raptors have played most of the year with a very suspect second unit, as the lack of consistent 3-point shooting off the bench and inability to perform when the chips are down are part of the reason Toronto is a play-in contender rather than a playoff fixture.It's not unreasonable to suggest that everyone outside of Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes should be on the table when it comes to evaluating their worth as complementary pieces next season.

The Toronto Raptors' fanbase seems to be largely against the idea of "running it back" this offseason, as last year's very disappointing result has some pining for either a complete rebuild or a retool that would include making some lateral moves that keep the squad competitive.With OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam being mentioned in trade rumors and the three-headed monster of Fred VanVleet, Jakob Poeltl, and Gary Trent Jr. all potential free agents that could leave, there are several possible futures in which the roster is upended.

In the grand scheme of things, a race for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference wouldn't rank very high on the best plots in the NBA right now.Still, it's what Toronto Raptors fans are left hanging on to with eight games left in the season.Both the Raps and the Atlanta Hawks in front of them have been lockstep - one step forward, one step back - since the All-Star Break, and one game still separates them in the standings.

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."

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.

Shooting woes plagued the Raptors over the past few years, and their offensive futility got them to this position where they have an opportunity to address that need via the draft.If Raptors president Masai Ujiri and GM Bobby Webster can just move away from drafting a long power forward that can't shoot for just once, they should do their due diligence and look into UConn 's Jordan Hawkins.

The Toronto Raptors faced the Detroit Pistons for the third time tonight at Scotiabank Arena.These two teams have developed quite the game atmosphere, with the usually lottery-bound Pistons always seeming to give the Raptors a run for their money.Tonight gave the opportunity for the Pistons to do that again, with several of the Raptors starters and role players out with injury.

The Toronto Raptors have a lot of question marks as they head into their Friday Night game against the Detroit Pistons.Questions about the availability of a lot of players, and questions about their standing in the Eastern Conference.Toronto will have to play without several of their top players, including Scottie Barnes with a wrist injury, Gary Trent Jr. with an elbow injury, and Precious Achiuwa with a hamstring injury.

After a crushing loss to the Indiana Pacers last game, hopefully it was the final wake up call that Toronto needs in order to truly lock in for this final stretch of games.The Detroit Pistons who are notorious for giving Toronto trouble in the past are coming to Scotiabank tonight and Toronto simply can't afford to drop games like this, this late in the season.

The Toronto Raptors were the only team in the NBA without a head coach after the Monty Williams move, though they seemed to narrow their final list of candidates down to three.Darko Rajakovic may not have been a household name to many, but he will be soon enough.Rajakovic spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies and has been cutting his teeth in the NBA for almost a decade with the Thunder and Suns.

The Toronto Raptors remain the only team in the league without a head coach, as Masai Ujiri is coming up on almost two months without bringing in someone who could be a replacement for Nick Nurse.As such, the Raptors are at risk of seeing their current staff decimated by departures.With some reports claiming they will wait more than a week before their final chance at interviewing Sergio Scariolo, it's fair to say that Toronto is not bothered at all when it comes to finding a replacement.

The Toronto Raptors, like the rest of the NBA, had to be stunned when they saw the latest transaction hit the waiver wire.Chris Paul, who was projected to be a member of the Phoenix Suns' push for yet another championship run, could be looking for work.According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Suns will either try to find some sort of trade for Paul or waive him as they try to start from scratch around Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.

The Toronto Raptors have been one of the hottest names in the NBA trade market, as teams are coveting names like Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby.Those in the NBA mock draft markets often factor in big deals involving Toronto flipping one of those names for a top-five pick.The Portland Trail Blazers, owners of the No. 3 pick, have been l inked to both of those names quite regularly.

The RaptorsHQ's Draft Watch is back, and we're here to foolishly figure out who the Raptors' front office will select 13th overall in the next few weeks.This task is a tall order, as President Masai Ujiri and GM Bobby Webster's tandem is putting everyone on a wild goose chase as to who's really in the running to replace Nick Nurse as the new Raptors head coach.

The Toronto Raptors appear to be willing to make some big changes on their roster, with names like Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby finding themselves in the rumor mill once again.The trades are afoot, with some fans and observers eyeing a very quick rebuild.While the Portland Trail Blazers' package of Anfernee Simons and the No. 3 pick seems to be the preferred haul for Toronto, the idea of trading with the Houston Rockets, who own the No. 4 pick after the conclusion of another dreadful season, might hold some appeal as well.

The Toronto Raptors are one of many teams who may need to get on the horn with the Portland Trail Blazers.The Blazers have the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, but they have not so subtly hinted that they will look to trade that pick away for a veteran like OG Anunoby that can help them win now.The No. 3 pick in this draft will guarantee Toronto a shot at either standout point guard Scoot Henderson or Alabama wing Brandon Miller, both of whom would go No. 1 overall in most drafts without a generational prospect like Victor Wembanyama.

Georges Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte is a Neo-Impressionist masterpiece, a subtle story of modernity and degeneracy, urban and rural divide, and pet monkeys.It is also a pointillist painting, made up by uniform dots (anywhere from 200,000 to millions, depending on where you look) that each contribute to the story.

The Toronto Raptors' head coaching search is moving at a glacial pace.Despite the fact they were eliminated far before the Milwaukee Bucks, the latter team has already interviewed a half-dozen candidates before deciding on former Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin.Of the many names that have been linked to the Raptors' vacancy in the last few months, one coach that seemed to have fallen out of the limelight following an initial wave of support is Jordi Fernandez.

The Toronto Raptors and Denver Nuggets are two franchises trending in two different directions right now.While Toronto looks to reboot its roster and try to compete with a new head coach, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets have made the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.Jokic remains one of the more improbable success stories in the NBA.

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.

Fred VanVleet and the Toronto Raptors were dealt a major blow right before their home game against native Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the suddenly red-hot Oklahoma City Thunder.It was announced that VanVleet's nemesis, Ben Taylor, was going to be one of the three officials working this contest.

For the second consecutive season, Malachi Flynn found himself on the outside looking in, unable to break into coach Nick Nurse's rotation while getting the EBUG (Emergency Backup Goalie) treatment.Flynn made strides this season, but it took injuries from several key players before the minutes opened up for him, but unfortunately, those minutes quickly went away once the team got healthy.

The following is part of Raptors Republic's series of pieces reviewing the season for the Toronto Raptors.You can find all the pieces in the series here For much of Chris Boucher's early career, he was fighting to solidify his place as a professional basketball player.From going undrafted after tearing his ACL in his senior season to dominating the G League to eventually carving out a consistent role in the NBA during the Tampa season, Boucher's path to legitimize his NBA dream hasn't been an easy one.

Since winning the NBA Finals in 2019, the Toronto Raptors have lived in the middle of the pack.Obviously, Kawhi Leonard left for the LA Clippers, but they still had a solid core in place.The trio of Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and OG Anunoby has led the team since then, but they haven't had much success to show for it.

While the Toronto Raptors did not move up in the 2023 NBA Draft order during the lottery revealing on Tuesday night, the Portland Trail Blazers managed to get extremely lucky when they moved up to the No. 3 overall spot.That doesn't mean they will keep the pick, however.With Damian Lillard still without an NBA Finals appearance, Portland has hinted that they will do everything to maximize their chances of competing for a title with No. 0 on the roster.

The Toronto Raptors are officially starting to interview some of the hottest candidates on their initial shortlist, with Sacramento's Jordi Fernandez, Milwaukee's Charles Lee, and Denver's David Adelman all getting consideration.It is only a moment of time before Kenny Atkinson gets his chance to make an impression.

Toronto Raptors star Pascal Siakam remains one of the most underrated players in the game, as he has been named an All-Star twice and put up All-NBA numbers twice in a three-season stint.Another All-NBA season would have put him in quite a rarified territory.Siakam would have been supermax eligible if he made All-NBA for the second season in a row.

The Toronto Raptors have been interviewing plenty of proven head coaches and top-end assistants in their quest to find a replacement for Nick Nurse.They have also made one of the more puzzling interview requests we had seen in quite some time when they asked to talk to JJ Redick.Redick, who is currently a TV talking head with ESPN and a podcast host following a very productive 15-year NBA career, was interviewed by the Raptors for their head coaching vacancy.

The Toronto Raptors' need for more scoring and guard depth has been apparent for years now, and the challenges that come with attracting high-end talent to Toronto have only made things even more difficult on that front.Masai Ujiri needs to blow past those concerns this offseason and add a difference-maker.

Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors know that the 2023 NBA Draft holds as much value and importance as any draft the Raptors have had in quite some time.They need to make sure that a high-end scorer comes to town and helps revitalize the offense.Names like Baylor's Keyonte George have risen to the forefront of Raptors Twitter's collective consciousness due to his scoring ability, though Kentucky's Cason Wallace and Arkansas' Nick Smith have also been connected to the Raptors with varying degrees of seriousness lately.

NBA Champion, All-Star, one of the most successful undrafted players of all time, undrafted free agent, Fred VanVleet.The Raptors are at some sort of crossroads.Caused by the slow, trickling loss of talent from a championship team, the fruitless attempts to replenish it; and finally, the clashing of different egos and personalities.

Check Part I before you go on.Let's go on.4. Give me your MILDEST offseason prediction.ADON:
GARY IS GONZO.Gary, probably, believes his contractual simulacrum to be in the realm of Jordan Poole ($28.7 Mil), Tyler Herro ($27 Mil), and Anfernee Simons ($24 mil).Masai, probably, thinks him closer to the Bogdan Bogdanovic ($18.7 Mil), Tim Hardaway Jr. ($17.9

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.

The Toronto Raptors have another chance - their fifth in a month! - to get back to .500tonight, as they host the Miami Heat at Scotiabank Arena.Currently sitting at 37-38, the Raptors haven't struck even since they were 13-13 waaaay back on December 9... before they lost six straight and sent this season into the slog it's been ever since.

For some reason, it's become relatively commonplace on NBA social media to bash Toronto Raptors second-year standout Scottie Barnes and All-Star forward Pascal Siakam.It appears as though Barnes not becoming LeBron James at age 21 and Siakam's bubble performance from three years ago are still fair game as far as insults go.

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 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.

After last night's game the Toronto Raptors have moved to a record of 37-38 which has them tied with the Atlanta Hawks for the 8th seed.The Hawks own the tiebreaker over Toronto but winning the game last night has put them in great position to make a run for the 8th seed and only have to win one play-in game to qualify for the playoffs.

The Toronto Raptors have placed a ton of energy in making their G League team the pride of the NBA's minor leagues.Names like Ron Harper Jr. and David Johnson have been grinding in Mississauga for most of the season with Raptors 905, with additional NBA players like Christian Koloko and Dalano Banton have also popped down.

Starting on the Raptors side of things, this game was another blown opportunity.Opinions have been split all season on whether Toronto should be gunning for a playoff spot in the first place.However that quest would be significantly easier if the Raptors catch the Hawks, resulting in one play-in win to make the postseason instead of two.

The Toronto Raptors were considered the favorites to beat an Indiana Pacers team that was playing without star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, but injuries of their known sidelining Gary Trent Jr. and Scottie Barnes made things a bit more complicated.An already thin bench was stretched thin without these players.

The Indiana Pacers are visiting the Toronto Raptors tonight in an eastern conference matchup that holds serious implications for Toronto, like all of the remaining games will.Toronto needs this game to keep trying to rise in the standings and Indiana may be without their best player in Tyrese Haliburton tonight so that makes things a bit easier for Toronto.

The Toronto Raptors can try as hard as they want to make it out of the Eastern Conference, but the Boston Celtics are going to be a major threat to that goal as long as Raptors admirer Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are in town.Both of them have evolved into perennial All-Stars with blinding speed.Not only is Tatum widely viewed as a superior player and a potential MVP frontrunner, but he is locked into Boston for the foreseeable future.

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.

For both the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks, at this point in the season, every game matters.For the Bucks, they're in first place in the Eastern Conference, but it's hardly a comfortable lead; they're just two games up on both the surging 76ers, winners of 8 straight games, the Boston Celtics, who are struggling at the moment (for them) but could get back on track any day.

Fred VanVleet carried the load in the first half and Pascal Siakam took over in the second as the Toronto Raptors won their third straight.VanVleet led all scorers with 28 to power the Raptors past the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves 122-107 on Saturday, with 22 of his points coming before intermission.

Nick Nurse and the Toronto Raptors are right in the thick of the play-in race.While winning should always be encouraged, and the team is in a much better position than they were earlier in the year, the fact that the Raptors are in this position after winning 48 games last year has to sting.Even the biggest fans of Raptors executive Masai Ujiri must acknowledge that he has not done an amazing job of plugging the holes on this roster.

The Toronto Raptors have spent much of the season taking on water, plugging holes in the boat, and finding two more spring anew for every one solved.There has been a broken defense, starters who don't fit together, stars who don't fit together, lack of effort, lack of shooting, lack of rim pressure, and lack of bench support.

Are the Toronto Raptors hot right now? Are they feeling the March Madness fever?I know we just witnessed a 16 seed upset a 1 seed in the March Madness tournament for the second time in NCAA men's basketball history, but have you ever seen a 9th seed in the East upset the 8th seed in the West?This truly could be ground shaking if it happens.

This game should be considered a golden opportunity for the Raptors to inch closer to the all-important eight seed.League leading Milwaukee is waiting on Sunday, literally the worst opponent you can draw up to play on a back to back.1-1 in this scenario is a passing grade.Minnesota is the final West opponent on the schedule.

A life outside the Play In Tournament is slipping away from the Toronto Raptors, but there's still upside potential.One game back of the Atlanta Hawks, they still have a chance to host one of the play in games.It's not the most inspiring goal, but something small for the bulletin board nonetheless.The Oklahoma City Thunder come into Toronto tonight with similar circumstances, though a bit more upside exists.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are stomping into Scotiabank arena tonight to face off against the Toronto Raptors for the second time this season and this time there is plenty at stake for both of these teams.OKC sits at a record of 34-35 and are currently the 9th seed so they are looking to get every win they can so they can rise up in the standings and the same can be said for Toronto who sits at a record of 33-36 and is also the 9th seed currently.

My baby can only love one toy at a time.He can have his purple tongs in hand (yes, he loves tongs, and they're a perfectly fine toy, why do you ask), and all will be right in the world.Laughs.Smiles.Shrieks.Then from across the room, his small wooden truck will beckon.The tongs will be cast aside, driven into the ground with seeming and sudden fury -- what are you doing in my hands!? -- as he tears across the room to capture his truck.

I've lost track of the amount of times we've written about how an upcoming game or stretch of games is critical for the Toronto Raptors this season.Since the end of December, we've all been waiting for the team to make a push, and time and again, they've fallen short.After going 1-4 on their recent road trip, well, the Raptors are pretty much out of time.