Raptors' Pascal Siakam out at Least 2 Weeks After Injury Diagnosed as Muscle Strain
The Toronto Raptors announced Sunday that Pascal Siakam will miss at least two weeks because of a muscle strain.
The 2019-20 All-Star has been the team's best player to open the 2022-23 season. He's averaging 24.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists through nine games.
Siakam exited Toronto's 111-110 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday with a groin injury. A two-week recovery timeline could rule him out for the team's next eight games as well. A Nov. 23 clash with the Brooklyn Nets may be the earliest he's back on the court.
Siakam's value goes beyond the box score.
Head coach Nick Nurse began using the 6'9" forward as a center more frequently last year, and the trend has continued into the current campaign. Per Cleaning the Glass, 19 percent of Siakam's minutes came at the 5 in 2021-22, and the number is up to 24 percent in 2022-23.
His ability to not only defend the perimeter but also operate as a small-ball center is something that can't easily be replicated by another player within the squad.
On offense, Siakam has helped the Raptors cope with their dearth of playmakers behind Fred VanVleet, who has missed three games due to back trouble. Siakam, VanVleet and Scottie Barnes are the only Toronto players averaging at least two assists per game.
Two weeks isn't a long time in the grand scheme of an entire season, but top-six race in the Eastern Conference is likely to be a tight one. Siakam's injury could prove costly if only one or two games are what separates Toronto from the No. 6 seed to the play-in tournament.
