One of the biggest questions coming into this season for the Raptors was if Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam could co-exist.
In the offseason the Raptors didn’t trade Scottie Barnes in a win now move for Damian Lillard and they also didn’t trade Pascal Siakam to signal a rebuild.
Toronto went into this season with both players on the roster, hoping they could make it work together.
Through the first 17 games the Raptors are 8-9 and they are still trying to find their identity. There is a good enough sample size to start making some realizations about this team.
One of the biggest observations so far is that through the first 7 games of the season Scottie Barnes had a higher usage rate than Pascal Siakam. As a result Barnes got off to a hot start and Siakam started slow.
However, in the last 10 games Siakam has had a higher usage rate than Barnes. As a result Siakam has played much better, while Barnes’ numbers have taken a hit:
First 7 games:
Scottie: 22.6 ppg on 51.3% shooting w/ 25% USG rate
Pascal: 15.4 ppg on 41.2% shooting w/ 20.8% USG rateLast 10 games:
Scottie: 16.5 ppg on 42.7% shooting w/ 21.9% USG rate
Pascal: 23.2 ppg on 53.8% shooting w/ 28% USG rate— 𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐞 (@AaronBenRose) November 27, 2023
It’s starting to feel like whenever Siakam has a standout game, Barnes takes the back seat. And vice-versa. There has only been four times this season where the two have scored 20 or more points each in a game.
Both players have similar skillsets and do a lot of the same things. Therefore, it’s hard to see both complimenting each other well when they share the court together.
Raptors must pick a direction
If this trend continues and the Raptors hover around .500 or worse, they must finally make a decision. A decision that has been avoided now for a while. The Raptors must commit to building around one of these players, thus choosing their direction.
All arrows point to the Raptors embracing the rebuild and building around Barnes. Siakam is on the last year of his contract and teams have already shown interest in the two-time All-Star.
Have you subscribed to the Raptors Nation YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
