Siakam's Fourth Quarter Woes Stem From Tentativeness at the Rim

Raptors star Pascal Siakam has struggled with tentativeness driving to the rim while trying to get accustomed to being Toronto's closer

The Toronto Raptors appear to have a closing problem.

They're 0-3 for the first time since 2005 and to make matters worse, they've squandered double-digit leads in all three of their losses. It's an issue that points to an inability to get out of ruts and create offence when things get bogged down. There's been hope that Pascal Siakam could step up and take over that role, but so far this season that hasn't been the case.

"I’d say he’s our closer," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said of Pascal Siakam following the team's 100-93 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night. "I think, again, he’s going to get the opportunities there and I think the increased reps will get him there."

Right now Siakam has been anything but the Raptors' closer. He's scored just two points in 27 fourth-quarter minutes and shot 1-for-9 from the field.

Here's a look at all of those shots:

If you're having flashbacks to last year's playoffs it's understandable. None of those shots was particularly easy. Most of them required him to make a tough shot at the rim and finish inside. While that's not unreasonable for the Raptors to ask their All-NBA, max contract player to finish at the rim in crunch time, he hasn't shown an ability to make those kinds of shots since before the start of the pandemic.

Right now, Siakam looks tentative at the rim.

"He’s got to get a little stronger at the end of his drives," Nurse said. "He’s got to play to make a tough finishing basket rather than playing for the possible foul. It’s hard to score when you’re playing to draw a foul rather than playing to score and then if there’s contact, that’s a bonus.

"He’s got to find his balance, he has to find his strength a little bit, he’s going to have to produce on a few more of those shots."

On a few of those fourth-quarter attempts — though not all — Siakam had opportunities to make kick-out passes to open shooters. He successfully collapsed the defence around him but decided to go up with it instead of making the pass to OG Anunoby or Fred VanVleet who appeared to have open 3-point shots available to them on a few of those Siakam drives.

"If there’s opportunities, if there’s lots of bodies inside when he’s driving, he’s got to kick it out and find guys," Nurse said.

It's still early in the season and early in Siakam's development as the team's No. 1 option. It would be silly to write him off as the team's closer, especially after he showed flashes of it before the pandemic, but until he finds a way to convert a few more of those tough looks at the rim, the Raptors are going to be in trouble when the fourth quarter rolls around.