Raptors need more from Siakam, but criticism should be nuanced

TSN Raptors Reporter

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TORONTO – Shortly after Golden State took a 3-0 lead in its first-round series against Denver late on Thursday night, Draymond Green shared his thoughts on playoff basketball and what’s needed to conquer it.

“[Everybody’s] not made for the playoffs,” said the Warriors’ all-star forward and three-time NBA champion. “I don’t know if y’all can see that around the league, but you look around the league, [everybody’s] just not cut out for the playoffs.”

“You’ve gotta give credit to guys who show up in the playoffs because it’s just not a normal thing around this league. You look around and some guys that you think are guys are not guys in the playoffs, and that’s just what it is.”

It’s a timely discussion, as is often the case at this juncture of the year. Even the league’s best players have bad games here and there over the course of the regular season, but when it happens in April, May or, heaven forbid, in June, you can bet people are going to take notice. That’s just the nature of the postseason – the lights are brighter, the degree of difficulty is higher and the pressure rises the further you go.

Earlier that evening, Karl-Anthony Towns scored eight points and, notably, attempted only four shots as his Timberwolves coughed up a 26-point lead in a loss to Memphis. The night before, Pascal Siakam was held scoreless on just five shot attempts in the second half and overtime of the Raptors’ heartbreaking defeat at the hands of Philadelphia.

Both big men are coming off great seasons worthy of All-NBA recognition. Plenty is expected of them. So, naturally, they’ve both taken heat as a result of those performances. That’s completely fair, but the discourse requires some nuance.

Green has