Is Siakam the Raptors best young prospect?

[RaptorsLife]

there's no OG way is our best prospect

siakam a better defender
better handle
better finisher
better passer
better in transition
better rebounder

only thing OG better is 3pt shooting

people will talk about siakam age. dude only started playing basketball at 17. he is still super raw

I made this thread last summer asking people which young raptor would be the best player 5 years from now...

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1604387#start_here

You and I were two of the few people who picked Siakam and I think we both stand by those choices.

However, I have to argue against the premise that he only started playing basketball at age 17. I don't believe it for a second. He had 3 older brothers who all played college basketball in the states. So this whole notion that a kid with multiple older brothers in the NCAA, who clearly has the body for basketball, only started playing at 17 sounds like nonsense. When you also factor in how smart he is with positioning and instincts at both ends of the court, it leads me to believe he's been playing much longer than that.

Saying a kid started playing basketball much later than he did is like the "white lie" version of lying about their age. It's just a tactic to increase their draft stock by creating the illusion of a higher possible upside. His perimeter game (shooting/slashing) is a little raw, but that's because he's 6'9 and played in the post at lower levels of ball. Beyond that though, nothing about his game was raw when he showed up here.

professionally training I meant. i don't think he did aau

[omar36]

Og is 2 years younger then the other young guys on our team so unfair to judge him right now but poetl and siakim look like the better prospects right now. siakim is prob our most versatile defender and if he shot 35% on 3's, he would be a legit starter in this league. what an amazing draft that year was for masai

[Joker]

Didn’t he only take up the sport like 5 years ago? If so that’s nuts

I have no clue how his skills developed so quickly. His handle and ability to finish are better than most guys who grew up playing the game every day.

Hakeem also took up the game really late yet somehow developed a polished skillset and touch. Hakeem's soccer foundation, which also included goalie I believe, probably didn't hurt with his footwork, agility, and hands. Siakam's foundation is soccer as well.

[___Rand___]

Physical/talent wise, he is the most gifted.
This off season should be all about developing handles and adding a go-to move or two.
Then the shooting the following off season.
He could be very good.

His handle is pretty good. Yes he needs two or three moves. And then add a jump shot. Mostly I think his shooting mechanic needs to get smoothened out. Right now it looks awkward like a robot trying to shoot. An economical smooth stroke like KD's. To me KD has to be his model.

[macNcheese3]

OG.

[gerrit4]

I still think it's OG, but Siakam is a really impressive player. I thought he was going to be Kenneth Faried with a bit more length, but that's a terrible comparison now...

[Asif16]

Yeah sorry I'm not falling for the OG hype just yet. Im sure he'll be a solid player but this board is over hyping him.

For me, its easily siakam. His athletic ability, defense, versatility, ball handling, IQ, motor, ability to finish around the rim...so many tools. ANd yet so raw, The potential is off the charts for siakam

[Joker]

I need to see OG with a full off-season to get back to 100% confidence with his knee and have a whole summer for skill development. Siakam is the more dynamic player at this point and I'm not sure if OG will be able to close the gap on him in those terms, but it'll be a lot clearer the start of next season.

[PhilBlackson]

Siakam is 23 years old now and will be 24 years old in a little over a month's time.

He is THREE years older than OG, not 2 -- there's plenty of development that can happen in that time difference.

While I'm not sure that he will be better in THREE YEARS time from now than Siakam currently is...I like his POTENTIAL to be a lot more. He's physically stronger and has similar length and came into the league a better defender, shooting better percentages so for that reason I like his potential a lot more right now. People also seem to forget how badly Pascal flamed out last year but we all become prisoner of the moment one time or another.

Neither guy has star potential imo but I think OG due again to being stronger n shooting better percentages has the chance to be a better overall player who at the height of his potential could possibly be a borderline one -- I've said before I think the top end of his potential is a player LIKE Artest or possibly another Otto Porter type but anyone dreaming of Kawhi 2.0 needs their head checked. I just can't see Siakam's God awful shooting touch every getting him to the point to do likewise but nonetheless he's a great hustle player that's quickly replacing what we lost with Amir playing elsewhere.

[RaptorsLife]

OG ain't better than siakam lol.

[lebron stopper]

Physical/talent wise, he is the most gifted.
This off season should be all about developing handles and adding a go-to move or two.
Then the shooting the following off season.
He could be very good.

His handle is pretty good. Yes he needs two or three moves. And then add a jump shot. Mostly I think his shooting mechanic needs to get smoothened out. Right now it looks awkward like a robot trying to shoot. An economical smooth stroke like KD's. To me KD has to be his model.

Right now I'm imagining Pascal pulling up from 3 like KD does

Watch on YouTube

[dagger]

I like all of our young guys, they all have some pluses and minuses, with lots of incremental upside - perhaps a bit more upside in OG because he has a couple of extra summers he can use to add things to his game. Perhaps the single most surprising thing to me - Poeltl's emergence as a league leading per minutes played shot blocker.

[Dino-Might]

The Raptors are in a weird position where they have five youngish players who are all at or around the same level: above average but not stars

An argument can be made for any one of Siakam, Poetl, Van Vleet, Wright and OG as the best player right now. This season Van Vleet and Poetl haves probably shown the most consistency while Siakam and Wright have had the highest impact in certain games. OG is probably last, although his defense has really helped the first unit.

As a prospect, OG probably has the highest ceiling, given his age, measurements and athleticism. Siakam has the second highest ceiling because he is so versatile in size and mobility. Poetl is really solid both ways right now, but I can't see him getting that much better. Wright and Van Vleet are older and other than some more polish, they are what they are as well.

[WWSRD]

Hopefully OG & Siakim's shooting can progress to a point where they can be the starting 3 & 4 for the team long term.

The defense and open court speed would be insane.

[VanWest82]

This will be unpopular but I'm not sure any of our young guys are capable of being more than a role player, now or in the future. From that lens I'd go with OG because the the 3+D forward is probably the most valuable player type out of the role player categories (i.e. back up PG, situational center, energy bench player, two way wing, secondary scorer, etc.). It's just easier to plug a guy like that into any line up.

As for Siakam, if he can become a league average shooter from three on volume then he's clearly the most valuable regardless of age. But he has such a long ways to go on that front that you probably have to handicap in other direction, which means he likely tops out as an energy big / defensive specialist who's also an above average play maker. You can only play that type of player in so many line up combinations against elite competition.

[Joker]

After Siakam's 1-27 3-pt shooting December, he's gone 5-24 in January, and 5-13 so far in February. Gradual improvement he can sustain, hopefully.

[___Rand___]

Physical/talent wise, he is the most gifted.
This off season should be all about developing handles and adding a go-to move or two.
Then the shooting the following off season.
He could be very good.

His handle is pretty good. Yes he needs two or three moves. And then add a jump shot. Mostly I think his shooting mechanic needs to get smoothened out. Right now it looks awkward like a robot trying to shoot. An economical smooth stroke like KD's. To me KD has to be his model.

Right now I'm imagining Pascal pulling up from 3 like KD does

Watch on YouTube

lol yeah you and me both. Imagine how much his game will expand once he gets that. He can fake and drive. I think he's actually quicker than KD.

[___Rand___]

This will be unpopular but I'm not sure any of our young guys are capable of being more than a role player, now or in the future. From that lens I'd go with OG because the the 3+D forward is probably the most valuable player type out of the role player categories (i.e. back up PG, situational center, energy bench player, two way wing, secondary scorer, etc.). It's just easier to plug a guy like that into any line up.

As for Siakam, if he can become a league average shooter from three on volume then he's clearly the most valuable regardless of age. But he has such a long ways to go on that front that you probably have to handicap in other direction, which means he likely tops out as an energy big / defensive specialist who's also an above average play maker. You can only play that type of player in so many line up combinations against elite competition.

I'm a bit less optimistic about OG's defensive future. Watch him carefully. When guarding quicker opponents he lacks elite lateral quickness or speed to guard them. That's when Casey would bring out Powell or one of the smaller guys to guard the opponent.

[lebron stopper]

Good read:

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/why-raptors-pascal-siakam-will-keep-launching-3s-despite-shooting-19-2-percent/

As the Raptors head back on the court, guard Fred VanVleet delivers a message to Siakam: "Hey, shoot the next one." On their next offensive possession, Siakam is wide open behind the 3-point line and his defender, Quincy Acy, is parked in the paint. The ball finds him, and, sure enough, he fires away. This time it splashes through the net, and Norman Powell is just one of several players on the bench to stand up and salute Siakam.

"We don't care if he misses 10 in a row," Powell says. "Shoot the 11th."

Casey calls Siakam a "semi-point guard" and describes his work ethic as "impeccable." Already a valuable part of the rotation, it is possible that his ceiling could be higher than even hardcore Toronto fans realize. In a late-January film session, players compared him to Draymond Green because he can guard any position and initiate the offense. Few big men are quicker in transition, and he is not only an excellent passer, but an enthusiastic one.

"He can be a star in this league," Poeltl says.

Siakam talks to his teammates about their footwork and how they prepare for shooting in different situations. If he has to sleep in the gym to take the next step, he says, that's what he'll do. In the meantime, it is his job to keep showing up at the BioSteel Centre in the morning and at night when nobody is paying attention. And when the lights are on and the ball comes his way, he cannot hesitate.

"At some point, those are going to go in," Casey says. "And then now you're going to be looking at a really, really special player."

[Psubs]

Physical/talent wise, he is the most gifted.
This off season should be all about developing handles and adding a go-to move or two.
Then the shooting the following off season.
He could be very good.

His handle is pretty good. Yes he needs two or three moves. And then add a jump shot. Mostly I think his shooting mechanic needs to get smoothened out. Right now it looks awkward like a robot trying to shoot. An economical smooth stroke like KD's. To me KD has to be his model.

I like that Siakam can go left or right and finish already!