Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Pascal Siakam Earns NBA All-Star Nod as Injury Replacement
Pascal Siakam will be heading to NBA All-Star weekend.
It wasn't exactly the typical route to All-Star weekend for the Toronto Raptors forward who was initially snubbed of All-Star recognition earlier in the month, but Kevin Durant's injury opened up a spot for Siakam as an All-Star replacement.
It'll be Siakam's second All-Star Game, having earned All-Star honors in the 2019-20 season. He likely would have made the All-Star Game last year had he not missed so many games to start the season as he recovered from offseason shoulder surgery.
Siakam's numbers this season have certainly been All-Star-worthy. He's averaging a career-high 25 points along with eight rebounds and 6.2 assists per game while shooting 47.5% from the floor. The issue had been Toronto's lackluster record, but a 4-3 road trip and a victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday had moved the Raptors into the play-in picture.
The 28-year-old had said he'd moved on from worrying about All-Star Game honors following the initial announcement that he had failed to make the team. Considering he's been leading the league in minutes played this season, he said he'd be happy spending a few days on a warm beach somewhere. Instead, he'll have a few days in Salt Lake before resting those tired legs.
Anthony Edwards and De'Aaron Fox have also earned replacement All-Star nods, filling in for Steph Curry and Zion Williamson in the Western Conference.
Further Reading
Masai Ujiri address trade deadline, plans moving forward, and being patient
O.G. Anunoby, Fred VanVleet, & Gary Trent Jr. stay put with Raptors
Raptors head into trade deadline with victory over Spurs as Jakob Poeltl rumors swirl
